Dried seaweed displayed at a large supermarket in Seoul (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s dried seaweed, a staple of the national diet, has reached record prices as strong overseas demand and rising consumption continue to outpace supply, pushing up food inflation.
According to data released Sunday by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp., the average retail price of mid-grade dried seaweed stood at 1,515 won ($1.13) for 10 sheets in late January, the highest level on record.
It marked the first time the benchmark price has exceeded 1,500 won and represents an increase of nearly 50 percent from two years earlier, when prices hovered around 100 won per sheet.
Seaweed prices have risen steadily in recent years but began accelerating sharply after 2023. Annual average prices climbed about 10 percent in 2023, surged 25 percent in 2024 and rose another 8 percent last year, despite expanded production.
Officials attribute much of the increase to booming exports. South Korea shipped a record 106.99 million bundles of dried seaweed last year, up 13.7 percent from the previous year. Japan was the largest destination by volume, followed by China, Thailand, the United States, Russia and Taiwan.
Dried seaweed displayed at a large supermarket in Seoul (Yonhap)
Although 2025 production exceeded the previous year’s output by roughly 50 million bundles, demand grew even faster at home and abroad, said Yang Young-jin, director of fisheries policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Rising export prices have also filtered into the domestic market, making a price correction unlikely in the near term.
The surge has contributed to broader inflation in seafood prices. In December, the consumer price index for seaweed jumped 14.9 percent from a year earlier, the steepest increase among major fishery products. Overall seafood prices rose 5.9 percent last year — nearly three times the pace of headline consumer inflation.
The government said it plans to expand production, promote higher value-added seaweed products and offer consumer discounts to prevent export growth from fueling further domestic price increases, adding that it will closely monitor market conditions to stabilize prices.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
