SEOUL, Dec 9 (Bernama-Yonhap) — Total exports of South Korean food products are widely expected to reach an all-time annual high this year, the customs agency said on Tuesday, pledging additional support to further boost exports amid the growing global popularity of Korean culture, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Total exports of Korean food products through November stood at US$10.4 billion, up seven per cent from the same period last year, according to data from the Korea Customs Service.
Aggregate exports of food products for the entire year are “certain” to surpass last year’s total of US$10.7 billion, which marked the highest on record, the agency added.
By category, processed foods accounted for the largest share of 60.8 per cent of total exports, followed by fisheries goods at 27.5 per cent.
Instant ramyeon noodles and dried seaweed products, also known in Korean as “gim,” were particularly popular, with exports growing 21.4 per cent and 13.3 per cent on-year, respectively.
In a bid to support local food exporters, the customs agency said it plans to introduce new HS Codes, or standardised category codes for traded products, for popular food items, such as ramyeon, at a meeting held with local food exporters in Seoul.
The agency also vowed to increase its crackdown on country-of-origin labelling to prevent illegal distribution and imports of food products falsely labelled as produced in South Korea.
— BERNAMA-YONHAP