Although the price of napa cabbages appears to be rolling down, kimchi prices are still substantial as major ingredients have become much pricier over the past year. A single head of cabbage at retail stores nationwide on Tuesday were sold for an average of 4,494 won ($3.15), according to data from the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation.
Compared to the average price of 8,285 won from a month ago, the price of cabbages has fallen significantly, by 45.8 percent. But the price of cabbages is still 15.4 percent higher than from the same period last year.
The kimchi-making season falls between the end of November to the beginning of December each year, and demand for cabbages peaks during this period.
The current cabbage price is also 18.7 percent higher than the average over the past five years, which was 3,784 won. This means that even though the price of cabbage did dip recently, consumers still feel the price increase.
Source: koreajoongangdaily.joins.com
