S. Korea logs trade surplus for kimchi in H1

SEOUL, July 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea posted a trade surplus for kimchi in the
first half of this year as a weak local currency boosted exports to Japan, a
state-run company said Sunday.
According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corp., the nation's trade surplus for
the spicy, vegetable-based fermented side dish stood at US$8.8 million for the
first six months of the year, compared with a deficit of $23 billion a year
earlier.
Exports of kimchi rose 5.6 percent on-year to $42.3 million in the first half of
the year, the company said, without providing import figures.
"The turnaround came as a falling South Korean currency sharply increased
Japanese demand for the traditional dish while rising safety concerns over
China-made foods reduced imports," a corporation official said.
If the current trends continue, the country will book its first trade surplus for
kimchi since 2006, when reported cases of parasite eggs found in locally produced
kimchi scared domestic and overseas consumers away from the food, the corporation
said.
Kimchi, a traditional dish made from cabbage, radishes and cucumber, is eaten
with almost all Korean meals. Before the parasite egg scare in 2005, the
country's exports of it totaled some $100 million per year.
pbr@yna.co.kr
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