K-Food Plus, Exports to Surpass $6.67 Billion in the First Half of 2025
Despite the recent slight increase in prices and exchange rates, both K-Food+ exports (tentative) and agricultural and food products (K-Food) exports in the first half of this year increased compared to the same period last year.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 4th that K-Food+ exports (tentative) in the first half of this year recorded $6.67 billion, up 7.1% from last year.
K-Food+ is a comprehensive term for agricultural and food products (fresh and processed foods) and agricultural industries (smart farms, agricultural equipment, animal medicine, etc.).

In addition, K-Food increased by 8.4% from the same period last year to $5.16 billion, and the regions with the highest export growth rates were North America (↑24.3%), the European Union (EU+UK, ↑23.9%), the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC, ↑17.8%), and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS+Mongolia, ↑9.0%).
The quarterly export growth rate was 9.8% in the first quarter (January to March) and 7.7% in the second quarter (April to June), and the major markets of the US, China, and Japan had higher export growth rates in the 24th quarter than in the first quarter.
Among processed foods with export performance of over 50 million dollars, the top items with the largest growth rate compared to the same period last year were ramen at 731.7 million dollars (↑24.0%), ice cream at 65.5 million dollars (↑23.1%), and sauces at 228.4 million dollars (↑18.4%).
With the popularity of spicy flavors, ramen is attracting the attention of global consumers with new products such as spicy cream ramen. In major markets such as China and the US, a stable distribution system centered on local corporations and large retailers has been established, and active expansion into new markets such as Europe and ASEAN has also been made.
In terms of sauces, gochujang, ssamjang, spicy sauce, and bulgogi sauce increased in the US, Japan, and China, thanks to the spread of awareness of Korean food and the popularity of spicy ramen.
In the US market, which has the largest export performance, sales of ice cream increased at large retailers, and in markets such as Canada where dairy product exports are difficult, plant-based ice cream replaced it, leading to increased exports.
Meanwhile, among fresh food products with export performance of over 20 million dollars, the items with the highest increase compared to last year are chicken (↑7.9%) and yuzu (↑5.5%).
Among chicken exports, fresh poultry meat showed growth (↑7.6%) following the first quarter despite the strengthening of quarantine in Vietnam, the largest exporter of laying hens.
The brisk export of heat-treated poultry meat is due to the popularity of samgyetang and frozen chicken, and the top export country is the US, and the export amount to the EU and the UK, where quarantine negotiations were concluded last year, has already exceeded the total performance of the previous year in the first half of the year.
As the perception that yuzu is good for health spreads, demand for Korean yuzu tea is increasing, and exports to the US, Japan, and the EU are increasing. Exports increased as stores are opening in large local retail stores in the US and various packages that enhance drinking convenience are released in Japan.
The export performance of the agricultural industry in the first half of the year also increased by 3.1% year-on-year to $1.5 billion, and the items with the highest growth rate year-on-year were veterinary drugs, pesticides, seeds, and fertilizers.
Veterinary drugs recorded exports of $167.2 million, up 51.0% as of the end of May. Exports of lysine (animal nutrition), chemical preparations, and medical devices increased, leading the overall increase in veterinary drug exports.
In particular, lysine increased by 160.0% year-on-year due to increased demand in Europe, while demand for chemical preparations increased in Brazil and Southeast Asia, and for medical devices, demand increased in the US and Europe.
Following last year’s (↑64.3%), pesticides continued their upward trend this year, recording exports of $490.2 million, up 22.4%, with high growth centered on markets such as China, Vietnam, and Brazil.
Seeds recorded $27.3 million, up 14.1% from the previous year, driven by a sharp increase in demand for domestic vegetable seeds in the U.S. and elsewhere. Fertilizer exports increased 6.8% from the previous year to $222.1 million, mainly due to the strengthened marketing of high-quality Korean products in Southeast Asia, a major market.
Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mei-ling said, “Based on the solid K-Food+ export performance in the first half of the year, we will actively support export companies’ product development, overseas online and offline promotions, consulting on tariffs and non-tariff barriers, and responding to export risks such as exchange rates and logistics so that we can achieve our export goal of $14 billion by the end of the year.”
[Editor Lee]