A shortage of lettuce caused by abnormal weather patterns is disrupting supply across Korea, forcing some franchise chains to use cabbage as a temporary substitute in their burgers.
Workers move napa cabbage for auction at Garak Market in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on July 15.
A field near Jeju City is full of cabbage in this photo from March 12.
Farmers harvest cabbage in a field on Jeju Island on Jan. 14.
Cabbage prices are set to rise during kimchi-making season, with a predicted yield drop impacting costs by up to 20 percent.
The government will import napa cabbage from China to stabilize domestic supply of ahead of the kimchi-making season.
Napa cabbages are on display at a discount mart in downtown Seoul on Sunday as prices of fruits and vegetables spike following recent heavy downpours that damaged many farms.
Chinese cabbage, the main ingredients for making kimchi, are displayed at an Emart branch in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Tuesday.
Boxes of pickled napa cabbage are on display in the vegetable aisle at a large supermarket. The consumer price for 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of pickled napa cabbage is around 50,000 won ($37), up 5,000 won from the previous year.
The wholesale price of napa cabbage soared 161 percent on year to 25,760 won ($19.30) per 10 kilos as of Friday, according to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation.
Korea JoongAng Daily Sitemap
