Cabbage prices are going up high...36% of consumers "will reduce the size of kimchi"

As cabbage prices continue to rise ahead of the kimchi-making season, nearly four out of ten consumers will reduce the size of kimchi compared to last year, according to a survey.

According to a survey of 550 consumers by the Korea Rural Economic Research Institute, 54% said they would make kimchi similar to last year's, and 36% said they would reduce the size.

The most common reason for reducing the size was that 42 percent said it was expensive, followed by a decrease in consumption and a convenient purchase of kimchi on the market.

This year, the size of kimchi for a family of four was 18.5, which was less than 19.9 last year.

Half of the consumers chose late November to early December as the kimchi-making period, but 11.5% said it was after mid-December.

The Rural Economic Research Institute analyzed that the willingness to make kimchi after mid-December has increased due to the high price of cabbage this year.

In addition, 96% of the respondents said they were not willing to buy Chinese cabbage.

As of today, the retail price of cabbage, compiled by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, rose nearly 40% year-on-year to 9,123 won per head.