Seoul, South Korea - Recent

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Households and restaurants in South Korea have reeled from price surge of napa cabbage, a staple food in Korean cuisine, with some exploring alternatives to cope with the increased expenses.

Napa cabbage, also known as Chinese cabbage, is key ingredient of kimchi often served as a side dish with meals and is enjoyed in various forms.

However, the current price of this vegetable has risen by about 30 percent compared to the same period last year.

With prices of napa cabbage and turnip, another often-used ingredient of kimchi, remaining high, an increasing number of consumers are turning to more affordable vegetable substitutes like other kinds of cabbage and lettuce to offset the impact on their budgets.

A survey released by the Korea Rural Economic Institute on Friday revealed that 40 percent of respondents plan to reduce the amount of kimchi they make this year.

The rise in kimchi prices has also adversely impacted the South Korean food industry.

Jung, who manages a barbecue restaurant in the Seoul metropolitan area, disclosed that the procurement cost of a 10-kilogram pack of Korean-produced kimchi has surged to 60,000 Korean won (about 43.58 U.S. dollars), marking a 1.7-fold increase from previous rates.

In response to the soaring prices, Jung has changed his kimchi sourcing by increasing imports from China and reduced the availability of side dishes for patrons.

Shotlist:
Seoul, South Korea - Recent:
1. People shopping for vegetables in supermarket;
2. Various of people buying napa cabbage; napa cabbage for sale in supermarket;
3. Various of woman selecting kimchi;
4. SOUNDBITE (Korean) resident (name not given) (ending with shot 5):
"With the current price, we have to either cut back on kimchi production or shift to using other kind of cabbage with lower price.";
5. Cabbages;
6. Street;
7. Various of cook preparing kimchi in restaurant kitchen;
8. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Jung, barbecue restaurant owner (full name not given) (ending with shot 9-10):
"Now the food costs account for half of our total revenue. Grilled pork tastes best with kimchi, making it challenging for us to reduce serving. That brought huge pressure for us.";
9. Various of diners having barbecue;
10. Various of people shopping for vegetables in supermarket.

[Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]