Too hot to handle: South Korean kimchi under pressure as heatwave drives up cabbage prices

The price of a single cabbage hit 9,337 won (US$7.02) on Thursday – up by 69.1 per cent from the same day a year ago, according to data released by the state-run Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation.

Cabbage is a key ingredient of kimchi, the country’s famed fiery fermented dish which many Koreans eat every day.

Experts say rising summer temperatures are leading to supply instability – especially for highland cabbage, which thrives in cooler climates.

“Additionally, climate change has changed the patterns of soil disease outbreaks,” said Lee Young-gyu, a virologist at the National Institute of Crop Science.