"Packaged Kimchi Makes Sense When You Factor in Labor"... This Year's Estimated Kimjang Cost: 264,000 Won

Retail prices of 13 key kimjang ingredients analyzed as of mid-October
Prices for vegetables such as napa cabbage, small green onions and garlic fall and stabilize
Prices for secondary seasoning ingredients such as salted shrimp rise
Estimated total cost for a family of four falls 6.4%
Manufacturers including CJ CheilJedang and Daesang prepare discount campaigns

With the peak kimjang season approaching, the cost of making kimchi for a family of four this year is expected to be in the mid-200,000 won range, down about 6% from last year. This is due to falling and stabilizing prices for key vegetables used in kimjang, including napa cabbage, radishes, green onions and garlic. However, the overall decline is expected to be limited as prices for secondary ingredients such as salted shrimp have risen. As smaller households of one or two people and consumer preferences for convenience converge, packaged kimchi manufacturers also plan to focus on capturing demand from these consumers.

Kimjang. Yonhap News

Based on retail prices for 13 key kimjang ingredients listed in the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT)'s Agricultural Products Distribution Information Service (KAMIS), this newspaper estimated that the cost of making kimchi for a family of four will be 263,929 won as of October 16, down 6.4% from 282,063 won in the same period last year.

The estimate was calculated for the amount needed by a family of four, focusing on 13 items for which market prices were available and excluding mustard greens. Each year, aT surveys prices for 14 key ingredients during the peak kimjang season: napa cabbage, radishes, red pepper powder, garlic, onions, green onions, small green onions, ginger, mustard greens, water parsley, pears, sun-dried salt, salted shrimp and anchovy fish sauce.

Prices for key vegetables used in kimjang were lower as of mid-October than a year earlier. For example, the retail price of 20 heads of napa cabbage was 111,140 won, down 10.3% from the same period last year. For a 0.7-kilogram quantity, the retail prices of small green onions and green onions were 4,122 won and 1,942 won, respectively, down 37.8% and 17.4%. Prices for secondary ingredients such as ginger, peeled garlic and pears also posted double-digit percentage declines from the same period last year.

According to the Korea Rural Economic Institute, the volume of napa cabbage, a main ingredient for kimjang, supplied to the market this month is expected to increase 2.1% from the same period last year, as delayed shipments of summer cabbage coincide with increased autumn cabbage production. As a result, the wholesale price of top-grade napa cabbage is expected to fall 4.8% from a year earlier to around 8,000 won per 10 kilograms this month.

By contrast, retail prices for salt, salted shrimp and anchovy fish sauce, which are used in kimchi seasoning, are rising. For example, 0.8 kilograms of salted shrimp, the amount needed for a family of four to make kimchi, cost 16,215 won as of mid-October, up 32.5% from the same period last year. The retail prices of sun-dried salt and anchovy fish sauce, based on the quantities needed by a family of four, also rose 2.2% and 3%, respectively.

The total cost of making kimchi may fall further below the estimate from mid-November onward, when the kimjang season gets into full swing. Wholesale prices for napa cabbage take more than a week to be reflected in retail prices, and last year cabbage prices in November were about 15% lower than in October. aT estimated the cost of making kimchi at 201,151 won in mid-November last year, during the peak kimjang season.

Major packaged kimchi manufacturers, including CJ CheilJedang and Daesang, are also preparing to attract customers during the kimjang season, taking into account demand from people who want to buy ready-made kimchi or make it with less effort. To coincide with the peak kimjang season next month, they plan to offer large-volume kimchi at discounts from list prices under a "Kimchi Sale" campaign, or sell seasoning paste separately to save consumers the effort.

For a quantity equivalent to what a family of four would make for kimjang, manufacturers' retail prices for whole-head kimchi in 40-kilogram packages range from 300,000 to 400,000 won. An industry official said, "If the labor involved in making kimchi is factored in as labor costs, buying packaged kimchi can be a better choice in terms of value for money. Demand for ready-made kimchi, particularly among younger people, is also steadily increasing."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.