Exports of gim (dried laver) this year between January and last month exceeded KRW 1 trillion for the second straight year, backed by record-high shipments in October. Shown is a foreign tourist on March 31 buying gim at a hypermarket in Seoul. (Yonhap News)
By Aisylu Akhmetzianova
Exports of gim (dried laver) have exceeded KRW 1 trillion for the second consecutive year thanks to a record-high performance last month.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on Nov. 26 said that between January and October, gim exports set a record-high USD 849.57 million (KRW 1.18 trillion), surpassing last year's figure of USD 792.54 million.
Korean gim occupies over 70% of the global market for dried laver. Such exports reached USD 790 million last year, up seven-fold from USD 110 million in 2010, and the number of markets nearly doubled from 64 to 122 countries over the same period.
The ministry predicted that gim exports this year will break USD 1 billion for the first time, up 27% from last year, thanks to higher global recognition of the product and support for exporters.
Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kang Do Hyung said, "We will keep striving to raise the added value of K-Gim on the world market, raise its export competitiveness and support production to stabilize domestic demand."
