Kimchi-Making Season Is Here, but Fewer Homes Are Salting Their Own Cabbage

Although the height of kimchi-making season is here, sales of fresh cabbage have been sluggish, while consumption of convenient products such as pre-salted cabbage, kimchi-making kits complete with seasonings, and packaged kimchi is on the rise — transforming the traditional kimchi-making scene.

Whole cabbage sales are also slow at large supermarkets, where pre-salted cabbage has become the flagship product. This year, kimchi kits that include seasonings along with pre-salted cabbage have hit the market, with sales up as much as 80% from last year. Park Do-hoon of Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, said, "If you just mix it up simply, it's much fresher and more convenient, and there's far less of the pressure and physical strain that come with making kimchi."

Packaged kimchi sales are growing as well. Kimchi sold under the name of a famous hotel costs over 30,000 won per kilogram. Following the Shilla Hotel's lead, Lotte Hotel's kimchi sales have also grown by double digits.

Thanks to a bumper cabbage harvest, cabbage prices have fallen 37% below the yearly average. Against this backdrop, the government has shifted the focus of this year's kimchi-season measures from boosting supply to spurring consumption, raising the discount budget for agricultural and marine products during kimchi season to 64 billion won.