The inflation rate of gim (dried seaweed) rose by 10 percent last month, according to Statistics Korea, the most in 14 months since last February's 11.8 percent.
The industrial city hopes to capitalize on its links to Nongshim's popular product and the Kyochon Chicken brand.
Korean gim, or dried seaweed, was shipped and sold to more than 120 countries worldwide, including Japan, China and Thailand.
The global popularity of K-food led to a surge in exports of ramyeon, gim and cooked rice this year, leading to gimbap shortages in Korean supermarkets.
The price of gimbap in Seoul, one of the eight representative dining options looked at in Korea when comparing price fluctuations, saw another uptick last month.
The widely popular frozen gimbap from Trader Joe's has returned home to Korea and is now available through the Emart 24 convenience store chain.
The prices for gimbap and bibimbap, two prominent items among the eight representative dining options in Korea, saw another uptick last month. The cost of gimbap rose by 1.21 percent to 3,254 won ($2.46) from the previous month.
Gimbap, a rice roll wrapped in seaweed, is poised to be the newest K-food sensation, despite its humble origins and misleading label as Korean sushi.
Vietnamese people are flocking to Lotte Mall in Hanoi, seeking Korean food and products. The mall's Korean vibes and localization strategy have attracted almost two million visitors since its launch.
Trader Joe’s newly launched frozen gimbap product is taking the U.S. market by storm. The seaweedwrapped rice rolls became a sell-out sensation shortly after their introduction in early August.
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