Kimbap at 4,000 Won a Roll… Soaring Ingredient Prices Add to Dining-Out Burden

The price of the popular snack kimbap has risen about 6% in a year, effectively entering the 4,000 won era. This is a significantly higher rate of increase compared to other menu items like pork belly or kalguksu (noodle soup). Kim Ok-ja, a kimbap restaurant owner, said, "Ham prices went up, egg prices went up, and vegetable prices rose a lot because of the extreme heat. So, it is difficult to maintain the current price."

As the price of kimbap, a quintessential food for commoners, soars, the burden of dining costs felt by citizens has also increased. Kim Dong-hyun and Kim Eun-seo, residents of Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, said, "It feels like the cost of eating out has risen significantly, and kimbap seems to be part of that trend."

A kimbap restaurant in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, has maintained the price of a kimbap roll at 2,500 won for the past five years.