Fresh produce absent from South Korea’s top 20 K-Food exports despite record sales
South Korea’s K-Food exports reached a record $10.41 billion in 2025, but no fresh agricultural product ranked among the top 20 export categories. Researchers cite unstable farm supply and weak links between domestic growers and food processors as major constraints.
Record exports leave fresh agriculture behind
South Korea’s food exports reached a record $10.41 billion in 2025, but the expansion of K-Food overseas has delivered limited gains for the country’s fresh agricultural sector. According to Nongmin, an analysis of Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation export data found that not one fresh agricultural product appeared among the 20 leading food export categories.
The findings were presented by Jung Dae-hee, an associate research fellow at the Korea Rural Economic Institute, during the Korean Agricultural and Food Policy Association’s 2026 summer conference. The event, held on August 20–21 in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, focused on K-Food’s global position and the use of artificial intelligence in future export strategies.
The absence of fresh produce marks a significant change from 2015. Fresh bell pepper was then the only fresh agricultural product in the top 20, ranking 14th. By 2025, it had fallen to 49th place. Jung said K-Food exports were continuing to grow while the visibility of fresh agricultural goods had declined.
Processors turn to imported raw materials
Industry participants linked the weakness to the way South Korea’s agricultural supply chain separates fresh consumption from processing. Kim Yong-ryul, head of the Agricultural Outlook Center at the Korea Rural Economic Institute, said food markets make a clear distinction between products intended for processing and those sold for direct consumption. Farms, however, generally prioritize the fresh market and redirect output to processors only when production is excessive, prices fall or product quality is insufficient for retail sale.
That practice creates an unreliable procurement base for food manufacturers. Processors require consistent volumes of raw materials regardless of fluctuations in fresh produce prices, but changes in shipments from production areas make stable domestic sourcing difficult. Kim said companies consequently have little choice but to use imported raw materials.
The mismatch means growth in exports of Korean processed foods does not automatically increase demand for South Korean crops. For growers, processing remains a secondary outlet rather than a market supported by planned production and predictable purchasing. For manufacturers, reliance on variable domestic supply can create risks involving volume, specifications and continuity, particularly when serving overseas customers.
European origin protection offered as a model
Jung proposed adapting elements of Europe’s system for protecting geographical origin. He said the European Union uses schemes including the Protected Designation of Origin, or AOP, to support parallel growth in processed foods such as wine, olive oil and cheese and in agricultural inputs such as grapes, olives and raw milk.
Under that approach, regionally produced agricultural goods are used as ingredients in associated processed products, while public certification gives consumers a basis for verifying provenance. Jung argued that South Korea should similarly develop export products made with domestically grown fresh agricultural materials. Such a system could connect the international recognition of processed K-Food more directly to demand for local farm output.
Government examines restaurant demand
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is considering measures to encourage Korean restaurants abroad to use fresh agricultural ingredients produced in South Korea. Yoo Mi-sun, director of the ministry’s Food Tech Policy Division, said the government was examining the proposal as part of efforts to promote joint growth between agriculture and the food industry.
The discussions point to two possible channels for fresh produce: incorporation into certified processed foods and direct use by Korean restaurants overseas. Both would require dependable supply, suitable logistics and closer coordination between farms and commercial buyers. Without that link, the headline growth in K-Food exports is likely to remain concentrated in processed categories rather than extending across South Korea’s agricultural production base.
