Minister urges Koreans to make more kimchi as cabbage prices fall

The government is pushing to boost kimchi consumption after rising cabbage output and falling demand drove prices down. Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryeong, marking the kimchi-making season, urged the public to "make one more head of kimchi" and called for a broader culture of sharing to help both farmers hurt by the price drop and vulnerable communities.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Song attended a kimchi-sharing event Thursday at Yangpyeong Boritgogae Village in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, where she made kimchi alongside volunteers and encouraged participants.

The event was organized by the Gyeonggi Province chapter of the Hometown Housewives Association. It was designed to carry on the tradition of sharing homemade kimchi with neighbors in need while also boosting consumption of cabbage and other kimchi vegetables whose prices have fallen due to higher output and weaker demand.

About 70 people attended, including volunteers from the Hometown Housewives Association and officials from Yangpyeong-gun, NH Agri Business Holdings and the Korean Pork Producers' Self-Help Fund Management Committee. They donated roughly 300 boxes of freshly made kimchi and 10 million won ($7,440) worth of domestic pork to local welfare facilities and vulnerable residents.

The Hometown Housewives Association, founded in 1993, works to promote the value of agriculture and rural communities, advance farmers' interests and carry out community service activities.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to work with local governments, agricultural cooperatives and consumer groups to support kimchi-sharing and consumption-promotion campaigns, as well as to stabilize the supply and demand of kimchi vegetables.

"I am grateful to the volunteers and partner organizations who took the time to make and share kimchi for their neighbors despite the cold weather," Song said. "The small act of making one more head of kimchi will be a warm gift for those in need and a great source of encouragement for farmers struggling with falling cabbage prices."

Song added that the government would actively work with local governments, agricultural cooperatives and consumer groups to support kimchi-sharing and consumption-promotion efforts, and would do its best to stabilize the supply and demand of kimchi vegetables.