Air raid on Chinese red pepper paste; Last year's income was the highest ever in South Korea

Following the rapid increase in imports of frozen peppers from China, concerns among domestic farmers are growing. It is pointed out that imported chili peppers are used as the main raw material for red pepper paste and are sold as pseudo-red pepper powder after going through a drying process, which is rapidly emerging as a threat to the domestic pepper industry. Accordingly, it is argued that measures to protect the domestic pepper industry are urgently needed. According to the Korea Customs Service, 106,180 tons of other mixed seasonings (red pepper dadaegi) were imported last year, a record high. Considering that imports in 2012 were 66,529 tons, this is a 60% increase in 10 years. This year, 63,968 tons were imported as of July, an increase of about 5% compared to the same period last year. This upward trend is different from the import of frozen peppers, which has been the biggest threat to the domestic pepper industry. Imports of frozen peppers in 2022 decreased by 12.1% ...