South Korea’s exports of dried seaweed reached a record last year on the back of growing popularity of Korean food items, the customs agency said Friday.

Outbound shipments of dried seaweed, called “gim” in Korean, came to US$790 million, or 1.03 trillion won, in 2023 by rising 22.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the Korea Customs Service (KCS).

It marked the first time that the gim exports surpassed the 1 trillion won level.

Dried seaweed is usually roasted with sesame oil and fine salt to be served as a side dish in Korean dining. Snacks made of gim have also gained popularity recently.

By country, the United States was the No. 1 destination with $169 million in 2023, followed by Japan with $144 million.

China came next with $90.7 million, and the export value for Thailand came to $66 million and Russia $57 million, the data showed.

Agency chief Ko Kwang-hyo visited a gim processing complex in the southwestern city of Mokpo on Friday and vowed to extend support for the industry, the KCS sa
id.

Source: Yonhap News Agency