SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea (news - web sites) got a pungent lesson on globalisation this year, when imports of kimchi -- the garlicky, fermented cabbage dish synonymous with its cuisine -- surpassed exports for the first time, officials say.
The Korea Herald daily newspaper called the trend a blow to national pride that would be as hard to swallow as if Italy were to buy its pasta from India. Producers are competing with Chinese kimchi that is half the price of local brands.
Imports of cheap Chinese-made kimchi rocketed an annual 174 percent in the first quarter of this year, eclipsing exports of the treasured national dish by nearly 3,000 tonnes, according to the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation.
Although the bulk of kimchi eaten in South Korean homes remains domestically produced, Chinese kimchi is gaining market share in restaurants and school and company cafeterias.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...a_china_kimchi
Maybe they should raise the tax on the imports then there would be less worry of about more foreign kimchi.
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