Demand tied to kimjang, South Korea's annual kimchi-making season, is shifting toward pre-salted cabbage and packaged kimchi. As one- and two-person households increase, more consumers are turning to "semi-prepared kimjang," using ready-trimmed ingredients instead of salting cabbage and mixing seasoning from scratch, while a growing number of households are skipping the ritual altogether and buying packaged kimchi.
Sales of pre-salted cabbage at Lotte Mart rose 6.8% from Sept. 1 through Oct. 18 compared with a year earlier, according to retail industry data released on the 25th. Sales of regular cabbage fell 3.2% over the same period. Radishes and salted shrimp, both staple kimjang ingredients, dropped 2.4% and 6.5%, respectively.
Demand for packaged kimchi is also rising. Over the same period, packaged kimchi sales climbed 4.2% at Lotte Mart and 0.5% at E-Mart from a year earlier. At Kurly, packaged kimchi transaction value over the three months through September rose 35% year-on-year.
Industry officials say that as one- and two-person households increase, demand for making large batches of kimchi at once is shrinking, while demand for preparing small quantities quickly or buying only what is needed is growing. According to household projections from Statistics Korea, single-person households are expected to reach 8.553 million next year, up 2.3% from this year, while two-person households are projected to rise 2.1% to 6.89 million. Three-person and four-person households are expected to decline 0.4% and 2.9%, respectively.
Retailers are expanding their product lineups in response. E-Mart increased the volume of its "Golden Salted Cabbage," first introduced last year, by 50% this year. The chain also launched an "Altari Kimchi Kit" this year, combining salted young radishes with seasoning. Lotte Mart raised supply of its "Haenam, Goesan and Pyeongchang Salted Cabbage" by 20% from a year earlier and introduced a "Haenam Salted Cabbage Easy Kit" that includes kimchi seasoning.
Premium launches are multiplying in the packaged kimchi market. Shinsegae Live Shopping resumed sales of its "Josun Hotel Fresh Kimchi" in early October after securing additional stock, following a sellout last month despite a price roughly three times that of standard kimchi. Hyundai Department Store launched "Myeongin Myeongchon Kimchi" at the food hall of its Apgujeong flagship store in early October, comprising 10 standard kimchi varieties made with top-grade ingredients and two specialty kimchi reflecting regional characteristics.
"In the past, demand centered on securing a year's worth of kimchi all at once when the kimjang season arrived, but recently consumption patterns have been diversifying according to consumers' lifestyles and preferences," a retail industry official said.