"K-Sweet Persimmons" Open China Export Route... First 20 Tons Bound for Shanghai

First shipment ceremony for Korean sweet persimmons to China held in Changwon on Nov. 6
One year after the “Memorandum of Understanding on Exports of Korean Persimmons” was signed at the South Korea-China summit last November
“K-sweet persimmons” to be promoted heavily in conjunction with the Shenzhen APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in November

Korean-grown sweet persimmons will be exported to China for the first time. The export route has opened a year after the signing of the “Memorandum of Understanding on Exports of Korean Persimmons” at the South Korea-China summit held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju in November 2025.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) said on Nov. 6 that they had held a ceremony marking the first shipment of Korean-grown sweet persimmons to China at Dong-eup Nonghyup in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, the country’s largest production area and the source of 99% of national sweet persimmon exports.

On the 6th, Dong-eup Nonghyup in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, held a ceremony marking the first shipment of Korean sweet persimmons to China. Attendees pose for a commemorative photo. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

A ministry official said, “This shipment is a representative achievement of summit diplomacy, realized one year after the memorandum of understanding on exports of Korean persimmons was signed at the South Korea-China summit on the sidelines of last November’s Gyeongju APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting.” The official added, “We completed the Chinese approval process about a month earlier than initially expected, with approval granted on Oct. 30. This will allow us to showcase premium Korean sweet persimmons in China during the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Shenzhen on Nov. 18 and 19.”

The first shipment consists of approximately 19.6 metric tons (1,960 boxes), or one 40-foot container. Sweet persimmons selected and packed by Dong-eup Nonghyup and the Gyeongnam Sweet Persimmon Horticultural Cooperative in accordance with strict quarantine standards are scheduled to leave Busan Port and arrive in Shanghai on Nov. 10. After passing through a local importer, they will make their debut as premium fruit at City'Super, one of Shanghai’s leading high-end retailers, and other stores.

◆ The fruits of 17 years of quarantine negotiations... China export approval process completed = Quarantine negotiations on exports of Korean persimmons to China began in 2008 and continued for 17 years before reaching a final agreement at the South Korea-China summit held at the Gyeongju National Museum on Nov. 1 last year.

A ministry official said, “Over the past year, the government has made every effort to turn the agreement between the two countries’ leaders into tangible results on the ground as early as possible.” The official added, “In February this year, we implemented the ‘Quarantine Guidelines for Exports of Fresh Korean Persimmons to China,’ and in May, we swiftly completed the designation of five export complexes in South Gyeongsang Province.”

In particular, starting in August, the ministry and the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency worked closely with relevant organizations and took proactive steps to shorten the approval process. They made thorough preparations for a remote on-site inspection by China’s General Administration of Customs in mid-October through two rounds of preliminary inspections and rehearsals. As a result, just over two weeks after the inspection, 25 orchards and six packing facilities were finally registered on Oct. 30, completing export approval about a month earlier than initially expected.

◆ Successful entry into the 1.4 billion-person Chinese market expected to boost farm income and stabilize domestic supply and prices = The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs expects entry into the Chinese market to provide a breakthrough in expanding sweet persimmon exports beyond their current concentration in Southeast Asia. Last year, around 80% of South Korea’s persimmon exports, totaling 3,217 tons, went to five countries and regions, including the Philippines, Malaysia and Hong Kong. With China, the world’s largest producer and consumer of persimmons, now open to Korean exports, the country has gained both a more diversified market and a stable, large-scale export channel.

The ministry also expects the move to boost incomes for farmers in South Gyeongsang Province’s major production areas, including Changwon, Gimhae and Sacheon, which accounted for 99% of national exports in 2025 (3,202 tons, worth $5.74 million). By diverting harvest-season shipments overseas, the exports are also expected to contribute significantly to stabilizing domestic sweet persimmon prices.

◆ Full-scale local marketing, including tie-ins with the “Shenzhen APEC” meeting = To establish an initial foothold in the market, the ministry and aT plan to focus on promoting the distinctive qualities of Korean sweet persimmons: their crisp texture and high sugar content, and the fact that they can be eaten immediately without further ripening. The strategy is to target demand for premium fresh fruit by differentiating Korean persimmons from Chinese persimmons, which are astringent and typically eaten after ripening.

To this end, aT will use its offices in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong as hubs to roll out launch promotions, sales campaigns and consumer tasting events across the East China, South China and North China regions through the end of the year. In Shenzhen, where the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting will be held, a “K-Food Consumer Experience Event” and a business-to-business (B2B) buyer consultation session will take place from Nov. 21 to 24. Korean sweet persimmons will be promoted as a key product in the “next K-food” lineup, with the aim of turning the momentum of summit diplomacy into export results.

After the first shipment, the ministry plans to continue supporting pest management at export complexes and quarantine inspections at packing facilities. It will also gradually expand export complexes and diversify sales channels based on local consumer responses and distribution results.

Jeong Gyeong-seok, Director General for Food Industry Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, “Exports of Korean sweet persimmons to China are the result of 17 years of quarantine negotiations, summit diplomacy, and the joint efforts of sweet persimmon farmers in South Gyeongsang Province and export companies.” He added, “We will provide thorough support, from quarantine management to local promotions, so that the export route opened at last year’s Gyeongju APEC leads to Chinese consumers’ tables through this year’s Shenzhen APEC.”

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