South Korea's dried seaweed exports to hit record high in 2024

According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, shipments of dried seaweed, called "gim" in Korean, reached $850 million in the January-October period of 2025, surpassing the previous annual record of $792 million set in 2023. Dried seaweed products at a supermarket in Seoul - Photo: Yonhap South Korea accounts for 70% of the global seaweed products market. For the whole of 2024, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries expects the export volume to increase 27% year-on-year to $1 billion. Specifically, exports to the US reached $177 million in the first 10 months of the year, followed by Japan with $175 million and Thailand with $84.5 million. The Ministry of Oceans noted that the number of export destinations for seaweed products has jumped from 64 countries in 2010 to 122 countries in 2023, reflecting the growing popularity of gim in the global market. "The government has been working to support gim exports throughout the entire process of production, processing and ...