South Korean media: Chinese pickles sweeping Korean restaurants! On May 22, a South Korean media outlet, the Seoul Economic Daily, reported that in South Korea, which is known as the "kimchi kingdom," most of the kimchi supplied in restaurants is being replaced by Chinese products. Analysis shows that the import volume of kimchi in the first quarter of this year reached a record high, with more than 98% coming from China. The trade of kimchi has been in deficit for three consecutive years, casting a shadow over South Korea's status as the "kimchi kingdom." Data from South Korea's Customs Service shows that the import value of kimchi from January to March this year was $47.56 million, an increase of 16.7% compared to the same period last year. The import volume increased by 10.1% to 8,097 tons. Most of the kimchi imports come from China. According to industry insiders, about 98.5% of imported kimchi is produced in China, and the usage is huge, especially in snack shops, small and medium-sized restaurants, and chain franchise industries. With the soaring price of cabbage in South Korea, relatively low-priced Chinese kimchi has become a "survival strategy" for the catering industry. The head of a well-known snack chain in South Korea admitted, "We used to use domestic kimchi, but the headquarters considered the burden of material costs and switched to Chinese-produced kimchi. It is very difficult to continue using domestic kimchi in reality." The surge in kimchi imports is due to poor cabbage harvests. Last autumn and winter, affected by high temperatures, snowstorms, and cold waves, the production of cabbage dropped significantly, and the summer cabbage from high-altitude areas also suffered reduced yields due to abnormal high temperatures." According to data from South Korea's Agricultural, Aquatic Products and Food Trade Corporation, as of last month, the average retail price of a cabbage was 5,442 won (approximately 28 RMB), up 24% year-on-year. Data from Statistics South Korea show that the price of cabbage increased by 15.6%, and the price of kimchi increased by 20.7%. Therefore, some companies are raising the prices of kimchi. Lotte Hotels & Resorts raised the price of kimchi by 11% and stated, "This is a measure that had to be taken due to the rise in raw material prices such as cabbage." On the other hand, the export volume of kimchi is steadily increasing. Last year, the export value of kimchi set a historical record at $163.57 million, but the growth rate did not keep pace with the import value. Last year, South Korea's kimchi trade deficit widened to $22.69 million, about three times the deficit (7.98 million USD) of the previous year. [Image: //p3-sign.toutiaoimg.com/tos-cn-i-ezhpy3drpa/20b2bd5e28fb47028506c473d0f0518a~tplv-obj:1920:1080.image?_iz=97245&bid=15&from=post&gid=1832824786273415&lk3s=06827d14&x-expires=1755648000&x-signature=yxVniaELq1GUXZPBL7494MWMGF0%3D] Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832824786273415/ Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author alone.