K-Food+ exports hit record $8.25b through July as Seoul targets $16b for year

South Korea's K-Food+ exports reached a record $8.25 billion through July, and the government is now pushing hard to hit a full-year target of $16 billion by concentrating on strategic products such as grapes and strawberries and key markets including the United States and China. Plans include expanding shelf space at Costco and other global retail chains and injecting an additional 12.4 billion won ($9.06 million) in direct support for exporters.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs convened the third joint public-private K-Food+ Export Planning Committee meeting at the Korea Press Center in Seoul on Thursday, where it unveiled its second-half K-Food+ all-out export strategy.

K-Food+ exports totaled $8.25 billion through the end of July, up 4.8 percent from the same period last year and the highest figure ever recorded for that stretch. Annual K-Food+ exports have risen steadily, from $12.13 billion in 2023 to $12.95 billion in 2024 and $13.63 billion last year.

Ramyun crossed the $1 billion mark in just seven months this year. Fresh fruit also posted strong gains, with grape exports up 35.0 percent year-on-year, pears up 55.2 percent and strawberries up 15.7 percent.

By market, exports to the United States — the largest destination — rose 9.8 percent to $1.18 billion. China grew 6.7 percent to $940 million. Exports to the Gulf Cooperation Council region in the Middle East surged 33.2 percent, Latin America climbed 24.4 percent and the EU gained 18.9 percent.

The ministry said it will concentrate export efforts in the second half of the year, when fresh produce shipments peak and global shopping seasons converge. It is pursuing 15 tasks across five areas: developing flagship export products, targeting established and emerging markets, boosting promotions through global retail networks, providing tailored corporate support and addressing non-tariff barriers.

Grapes are being positioned to become the first single fresh-produce item to crack the $100 million export mark. The ministry plans to secure 12,000 metric tons of top-quality fruit and mount an intensive push from December through January — the window when South American grape imports typically dry up. Shipments to the United States will be expanded by 150 percent to around 2,700 metric tons, partly through new listings at Costco.

For strawberries, the ministry will secure air-cargo capacity at year-end and conduct a pilot export of 30 metric tons of high-ripeness premium fruit. To reduce the heavy concentration of pear exports on the US market — currently around 55 percent of total shipments — it will expand premium retail distribution in Taiwan and Vietnam. Local marketing will also be stepped up for persimmons destined for China, where quarantine negotiations were recently concluded, and for Korean beef and pork heading to Hong Kong and Singapore.

Traditional liquor and rice-processed foods are also being pushed into new export territory. Pop-up stores under the "K-Jumak" banner will be piloted in six major overseas cities. To meet rising demand for Korean convenience foods — including frozen kimbap, tteokbokki and rice beverages — an additional 60,000 metric tons of processing-grade rice will be supplied.

In the United States, the ministry will work to place ramyun, sauces and rice-processed products in mainstream retail channels, with a plan to get 67 products from 25 companies onto shelves at Costco and other major retailers through large-and-small-business partnerships. In China, a permanent Korean food hall will operate across four major platforms — Tmall, JD.com, Douyin and Pinduoduo.

The ministry is also intensifying its push into emerging markets. In Southeast Asia, it will use logistics hubs in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to expand fresh produce exports to the region. In Europe, a record 89 companies will participate in the Paris international food fair in October. In the Middle East, a cold-pooling pilot using the port of Khor Fakkan in the UAE will open an alternative shipping route, while a separate drive will target the Saudi Arabian market.

Promotional activity tied to global retail networks will also be scaled up, with campaigns planned at US Costco and H Mart, China's Ole and Liqin, and Vietnam's K-Market outlets. Marketing events targeting the Thanksgiving and Black Friday shopping season and other second-half holidays will increase from 124 to 159 campaigns.

Additional funding will be channeled to exporters. Some 4 billion won in remaining and unspent budget — normally disbursed in November — will be reallocated this month, and an additional 8.4 billion won in tiered export vouchers will be provided. The ministry will also set up dedicated task forces to monitor regulatory changes in major export markets and deploy "K-Food guardians" in countries where counterfeit and imitation products are prevalent.

Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryeong said the second half of the year is both the peak season for fresh produce shipments and a period of sharply expanded global consumption driven by Thanksgiving, Black Friday and other events, making it "the critical turning point that will determine this year's export results." She added that the government would "concentrate all capabilities so that K-Food+ can become a strategic industry leading global trends, with related ministries, agencies and the private sector working as one team."