Record Surge in Bakery Product Exports Driven by K-Food Popularity

Seoul, Dec 24 (NationPress) South Korea's bakery product exports, including snacks, have reached an unprecedented level this year, thanks to the rising global admiration for Korean culture and cuisine, as reported by the customs agency on Tuesday.

The total value of outbound shipments for bakery products hit a record $440 million during the January-November timeframe, reflecting an 8.3 percent increase compared to the same period last year, according to data from the Korea Customs Service.

Snacks constituted the largest portion of these exports, making up 72.5 percent of the overall total, as stated by the Yonhap news agency.

Furthermore, exports of baked goods, such as pies, experienced a remarkable surge of 18.9 percent year-on-year, driven by the popularity of unique offerings like steamed buns and fish-shaped pastries.

The agency noted that this growth can be attributed to the increasing impact of K-pop culture, which has led to a heightened global interest in local cuisine.

In terms of export destinations, the United States emerged as the leading importer, accounting for 33.5 percent of South Korea's bakery product exports, followed by China and Japan.

Moreover, during the first nine months of 2024, South Korea's agricultural product exports also reached record levels, primarily driven by high demand for instant noodles, snacks, and beverage products.

The overall outbound shipments of agricultural goods increased by 8.3 percent year-on-year, totaling $7.38 billion in the January-September period, as per the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. This figure represents a record for any nine-month span, as noted.

This growth was significantly propelled by the demand for instant noodles (known as 'ramyeon' in Korean), which saw exports soar by 29.6 percent year-on-year to reach $938 million, marking a record high.

Last year's total ramyeon exports amounted to $952 million. Additionally, snack exports increased by 15.5 percent year-on-year to $560 million during the January-September period, while beverage product exports rose by 13.6 percent to $557 million.

Processed rice products, including gimbap, cooked rice, and tteokbokki, experienced a staggering growth of 41.6 percent to $217.9 million, already surpassing last year's total sales of $217.2 million.