Korea Posts Trade Surplus for Kimchi in First Half

For the first time in four years Korea has posted a trade surplus for its trademark dish kimchi. The Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation said Sunday that the nation exported close to 14,000 tons of the spicy pickled vegetable dish in the first half of this year, a nine-percent rise from last year. In dollar terms this surpassed US$42 million, showing a 5.6 percent on-year gain.

Officials in Seoul say the surplus is thanks to the weak won boosting demand from Japan and safety concerns over Chinese products reducing kimchi imports.