CreatripTeam

Frozen gimbap, once a rising K-food export, saw cumulative rice-processed product exports fall 16.8% through August as U.S. shipments dropped sharply. The U.S. market—where demand surged last year and was helped by a cameo of gimbap in Netflix’s hit animation 'K-Dev Hunters' (케이팝 데몬헌터스)—recorded a 23.4% decline to $64.52M. Monthly exports fell steeply after July when the U.S. applied a 15% reciprocal tariff on Korean goods: June exports fell 9.2% year-on-year, July 37.4%, and August 41.3%. Industry sources say the tariffs erode the low-price appeal of frozen gimbap, reducing competitiveness; companies may need stronger local marketing and other measures to regain momentum.