South Korea’s imports of kimchi touched an all-time high in 2022 amid galloping consumer inflation in the country, government data showed.

Inbound shipments of the spicy Korean traditional side dish came to $169.4 million last year, up 20.4 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the Korea Customs Service.

The on-year growth rate was the highest since the 53.8 percent surge recorded in 2010.

Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish normally made of fermented cabbage, salt and hot peppers, and is eaten with almost all meals.

The jump in kimchi imports was attributed to the high prices of cabbage, other ingredients and locally made kimchi products, which prompted restaurants and other users to resort to cheaper imports from China. (Yonhap)