South Korea’s exports of the dried seaweed gim grew 16 percent on-year during the first eight months of 2023 on solid overseas demand in line with the popularity of Korean food and culture, the Oceans Ministry said.

Outbound shipments of gim came to $540.68 million in the January-August period, up from $466.1 million from a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

In terms of volume, the country sold 24,862 tons of gim products during the cited period, up 16.4 percent from a year earlier.

Gim is often roasted with sesame oil and salt and served as a side dish. Gim and gim snacks have become popular overseas in recent years.

Gim is the No. 1 export item among South Korea’s marine products. Korean gim accounted for around 70 percent of the total global market. (Yonhap)