CreatripTeam

South Korea's gim (seaweed) exports reached a record, with $882.33 million shipped through the first three quarters of this year—up 14% from last year and quadruple the value from 2015. Major markets are Japan ($189.75M), the U.S. ($183.25M), China ($89.20M) and Thailand ($82.98M). Exports to China grew 41.4%, while Japan and the U.S. rose 18.4% and 14.2%, respectively. Officials attribute the boom to the global K-food trend and increased interest in seaweed-based dishes like gimbap (Korean rice-and-ingredient roll), boosted by broader K-culture phenomena. With momentum continuing, authorities expect annual seaweed exports to surpass $1 billion soon and have set a target to reach $1 billion by 2027.