Hong Kong, China Biggest Buyers of Korean Ginseng

Chinese people are emerging as major customers for Korean ginseng products.

Hong Kong and China ranked first and second among buyers of products like ginseng, red ginseng, and red ginseng extract at 28 percent and 22 percent of all ginseng products exported in the first nine months of last year.

Together they accounted for half of the exports, the Korea Customs Service said Wednesday.

Japan and the U.S. came third and fifth with 17 percent and seven percent.

As recently as 2005, China was not among the top 10 buyers of Korean ginseng.

Choi Sam-kyu of the Korea Ginseng Corporation said the reason for the surge seems to be the influence of Korean pop culture in Asia and years of overseas marketing efforts.

Ginseng export volume increased from US$75 million in 2005 to $118 million until end-September 2014.

Read this article in Korean