<Korean News>“The more you roll, the more you lose,” a number of kimbap stores are closing!

Since the beginning of this year, the price of seaweed has surged, and the cost of other ingredients such as carrots, cucumbers, burdock root, pickled radish, and spinach has also increased. As a result, the cost of making gimbap has gradually risen. Consequently, many small business owners running gimbap shops are being forced to close down.

Citizens visiting the dining area look at the price of kimbap.

According to reports from the franchise industry, 184 gimbap shops across the country have closed and been handed over to new owners. If we include other snack-based franchise shops, the number is estimated to be even higher.

Additionally, according to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, the price of seaweed this month increased by 38.0%, rising from 988 won per 10 sheets last year to 1,363 won. Carrots, commonly used in gimbap, saw an increase of 19.5%, going from 6,254 won per kilogram to 7,475 won, while the price of cucumbers rose by 11.0%, from 13,157 won per 10 cucumbers to 14,607 won. The delivery price of burdock root has also approached 5,000 won per kilogram for Chinese imports. Additionally, the rising delivery costs have become another burden, leading some shops to adjust their operations by raising the minimum delivery order to 30,000 won (about 3,200 yen) or even halting delivery services during peak meal times.

In the end, gimbap shop owners are finding it unavoidable to raise their prices.

According to the Korea Consumer Agency, the average price of gimbap in the Seoul area last month was 3,485 won, an 8.4% increase from 3,215 won a year ago.

For Korean shopping and business agency services

www.online-korea.com