[Feature] Korean Agri-Food in the European Market ① The Era of $1 Billion in Exports: Repeat Orders Are the Challenge

〈Editor's Note〉
Korean agri-food exports to Europe (EU and the United Kingdom) reached $961.3 million in 2025, approaching $1 billion. However, increased export value does not necessarily mean stable sales channels. The Korea Agricultural Technology News, together with Kim Ki-cheol, director of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City European Office, who has supported Korean companies’ entry into Europe from the Frankfurt, Germany, region since 2012, examines the current status of Korean agri-food in the European market in two installments. The first story covers the disparities by item and the issue of repeat orders as revealed in export statistics, while the second story deals with EU regulatory barriers that took full effect in 2026 and practical responses. Following the two-part feature, a written interview with Director Kim will be published.

 

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) Agri-Food Export Information (KATI), agricultural, forestry and fisheries food products (hereinafter agri-food) exports to the EU (including the United Kingdom) in 2025 amounted to $961.3 million, nearing $1 billion. In the first half of 2026, exports recorded $639.39 million, up 23.8% from the same period a year earlier. In other words, in just half a year they filled 92% of the full-year 2023 performance ($696.88 million).

The growth trend began in earnest in 2024. Exports rose slightly from $678.72 million in 2021 to $722.08 million in 2022, then instead retreated to $696.88 million in 2023, before the trend changed in 2024 as they jumped 24.1% to $864.5 million. On a first-half basis as well, exports continued double-digit growth rates for three consecutive years:  29.2% in 2024, 19.0% in 2025 and 23.8% in 2026. 

The question is where this increase came from. When broken down by item, the trend is clearly divided. In the first half of 2026, ramen exports amounted to $150.33 million, up 47.5% from the same period a year earlier. Ramen alone accounted for 22.4% of agri-food exports to the EU. By contrast, prepared seaweed such as seasoned gim, a flagship item of the Jeonnam-Gwangju region (based on HS 2008995010), recorded $34.55 million, rising only 3.4%. Kimchi stood at $12.04 million, up 0.5%, effectively flat.

Export growth rates by item alone make it difficult to know how steadily transactions continue, or why growth has slowed for some items. This is why Kim Ki-cheol, director of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City European Office, focuses on “repeat orders” after the “first export.” Since its opening in June 2012, he has led Europe’s first office established by a Korean local government, opened in the Frankfurt, Germany, region, and has supported regional companies’ entry into Europe. Turning a single export into sustained transactions is the task he has emphasized in the field.  Director Kim, an overseas contributor to the Korea Agricultural Technology News, has documented trends in Europe’s agtech and agri-food markets and EU regulations in the newspaper, and he also participated in the preparation of this feature.

In a written interview with the Korea Agricultural Technology News, Director Kim said, “The problem that rarely changes is that the ability to create repeat orders is weaker than that to secure first orders,” adding, “The Korean Wave opened the door, but what keeps that door open is the supply chain, documentation and local service.”

Processed gim, after surging 68.6% in 2024, records single-digit growth for two consecutive years

The pattern becomes clear when looking at recent first-half export values by item to the EU from 2023 to 2026.
Processed gim surged 68.6% from $19.58 million in the first half of 2023 to $33.01 million in the first half of 2024. However, the increase remained in the single digits for two consecutive years, with $33.41 million (1.2%) in the first half of 2025 and $34.55 million (3.4%) in the first half of 2026. Kimchi showed the same pattern. After increasing 40.3% in the first half of 2024 to reach $12.71 million, it fell 5.8% to $11.98 million in the first half of 2025, and only recovered 0.5% to $12.04 million in the first half of 2026.

Conversely, some items showed notable growth in the first half of 2026. Sauces and pastes (gochujang, soy sauce and doenjang combined) declined 7.1% in the first half of 2025, then rebounded 33.4% to $8.93 million in the first half of 2026.  Yuja preparations such as yuja tea (KATI “yuja”〈prepared by other methods〉, based on HS 2008301000) reached $2.26 million in the first half of 2026, up 56.9% from the same period a year earlier. However, the absolute scale remains small and the figure applies to that product code, so it is necessary to separately examine the trends of processed products such as yuja beverages and jams that are classified under other codes.

The gap in scale is also large. The combined export value of the four items—processed gim, kimchi, sauces and pastes, and yuja preparations—in the first half of this year was $57.78 million, equivalent to 38.4% of a single item, ramen ($150.33 million). Their share of total agri-food exports to the EU was 9.0%.

Director Kim assessed that the status of Korean food itself in the European market has clearly changed. He said, “The biggest change is that Korean food is moving from being a ‘delicacy at Asian grocery stores’ to becoming a category sought by general consumers,” adding, “Under the influence of K-content, consumers are looking first not only for kimchi, gim, ramen and sauces, but also for products that require explanation, such as yuja beverages, seaweed snacks and ready meals.”

At the same time, he drew a line between such interest and the stage where it leads to repeat purchases. Director Kim advised, “Even if the quality is good, it is difficult to expect expansion of distribution networks unless companies have labels in the local language, packaging designs that catch the eyes of local consumers, stable delivery schedules, test data and certifications required by importers, and a pricing structure,” adding, “Now we must move from the stage of sending products that sell well in Korea or in the U.S. market to the stage of designing products that will be purchased repeatedly in Europe.”

Item image comes before place names…EU geographical indications should start with pilot projects for one or two items

Even as export value increases, producing regions have yet to stand out. Director Kim diagnosed that, for European consumers, the regional name “Jeonnam-Gwangju” has not yet reached the stage where it drives purchases.

He said, “Rather than among general consumers, awareness of individual items from Jeonnam, such as gim, green tea and yuja, is first being formed mainly among importers and distributors that handle Korean food,” adding, “It is a stage in which the image of producing regions is being accumulated by item rather than awareness of the entire region.” In first purchases, he said, the national image of being Korean-made, as well as taste, price, packaging and certification, have a more direct impact than the name of the producing region.

However, he viewed that, depending on the item, labeling the producing region could become a factor in repurchase. Director Kim said, “For items such as green tea, gim and yuja, whose quality is determined by natural conditions and production experience, indicating the country of origin and producing region can become a factor that raises product reliability and premiums and induces repurchase,” adding, “It should not stop at displaying the regional name prominently; companies should briefly and verifiably explain why products from that region are good.” His point is that Boseong’s tea-growing environment, Goheung yuja’s aroma and processing experience, and Haenam’s soil and cultivation history must be connected with quality standards, producers, certifications and usage methods.

Geographical indications (GI) are cited as an institutional means to support this. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs as of February 2026, Jeonnam has 29 domestic geographical indication registrations. Director Kim notes that, among them, Boseong green tea, Goheung yuja and Haenam sweet potatoes are already included in the geographical indication protection targets under the Korea-EU FTA. For these items, he explains, the priority is not to pursue new registration, but to make practical use of the existing protection system to expand exports and enhance brand value.

Furthermore, he emphasized that when considering protection for additional items, it is necessary first to check whether they are already protected under existing FTAs, and to prepare producer groups, product standards, geographical linkage, domestic protection, quality management and strategies for using the names in Europe together, while taking a phased approach beginning with one or two items for which marketability and readiness have been confirmed.

Localization of yuja and gim: change how they are eaten, not their taste
Another axis that creates repeat orders is localization. Director Kim cited the common trait of successful cases as “products that maintain the identity of the ingredient while making the way to eat it easy.”

He said, “The entry barrier for consumers is lowered when yuja is approached not only as a tea ingredient but also as jam, ade and dressing; gim not only as a side dish but as a snack and topping; and squid and seaweed as convenient snacks,” adding, “Among Jeonnam products, gim products, yuja beverages and squid snacks are items that have confirmed this potential.”

The lessons from failure are more specific. Director Kim said, “‘Localization’ should not be understood as simply changing the taste,” adding, “If excessive sweetness, large package sizes, unfamiliar cooking methods, insufficient explanations in the local language and high logistics costs are combined, even good taste evaluations do not lead to repurchase.” He explained that, rather than introducing multiple items from the start, “it is effective to test price, volume, label and cooking method with one or two products, and then expand packaging and distribution after responses are confirmed.”

Korea’s strength is speed...Japan has the edge in repeated supply and quality documentation

On European shelves, Korean agri-food is often compared with Japanese products. Director Kim saw clear divisions between strengths and weaknesses.

He said, “Korea’s strengths are speed in new product development, response to trends and digital marketing,” adding, “Its ability to quickly turn trends such as spicy flavors, low calories, vegan products and ready meals into products and connect them with K-content to attract consumer interest is clearly ahead.”

By contrast, he cited Japan’s strengths as “trust built through long-standing transactions, consistency of specifications, restrained stock-keeping unit (SKU) management, detailed packaging and local distribution networks.” Director Kim said, “From a buyer’s perspective, it is as important as the buzz around new products that products arrive on time with the same quality every time and that the paperwork is complete,” adding, “Korea must maintain its strength of speed while supplementing the repeated supply, quality documentation and long-term partnerships in which Japan is strong.”

The “paperwork” that Director Kim repeatedly pointed to became a reality in the form of regulations in 2026. The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) entered general application on August 12. For items such as gim and kimchi that use multilayer films and aluminum pouches to block oxygen, the burden is greater to change packaging design in advance in preparation for the recyclability requirements that will apply from 2030. 〈Continued in Part ②〉

〈Profile of Director Kim Ki-cheol〉

Director Kim Ki-cheol received a master’s degree in environmental engineering in Korea, then moved to Germany in 2001 and earned a doctorate in business administration from Leuphana University of Lüneburg for research on sustainability management. After returning to Korea, he provided sustainability management consulting at the Korea Sustainability Management Center under the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and at Samjong KPMG, then moved back to Germany, where he handled technology commercialization and international cooperation at the Technology Management Team of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) Europe Research Institute and at the Korea-EU Research & Business Cooperation Center. He has served as director since the establishment of the Jeollanam-do European Office in May 2012 (opened in June), and since the launch of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City in July 2026, he has led the Integrated Special City European Office. As an overseas contributor to the Korea Agricultural Technology News, he writes a column series on trends in Europe’s agtech and agri-food markets.
 

※ This feature was prepared together with Director Kim Ki-cheol, an overseas contributor to the Korea Agricultural Technology News. Director Kim’s remarks were quoted from a written interview for which the Korea Agricultural Technology News sent questions on August 26, 2026 and received replies in September.