South Korea’s seafood exports jumped 16.4 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier on strong demand for tuna and dried laver, the fisheries ministry said Monday. Outbound shipments of seafood products came to US$560 million in the January-March period, rising for the ninth consecutive quarter, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said.
The amount was a record high for the first quarter. Seafood exports to Japan, South Korea’s biggest market, advanced 4.3 percent on-year to $163 million, led by sales of tuna, spanish mackerel and oysters, and those to China increased 13.6 percent to $86 million thanks to strong demand for crab and tuna.
By product, tuna, the top export item, soared 28.4 percent to $155 million, as sale of frozen products skyrocketed in such countries as the Philippines, Ecuador, China and Mexico. Exports of dried laver, called “gim” in Korean, came to $123 million in the first three months, a surge of 14.2 percent from a year earlier. Gim is usually roasted with sesame oil and fine salt. It is served as side dish, and snacks made with laver have gained popularity among foreigners in recent years.