Cabbage got cheaper, radish didn't: the 2026 kimjang bill
Cabbage prices look friendly until you hit the seasoning aisle. This year's kimjang trades a cheaper cabbage for pricier radish, salted shrimp and garlic.
Cabbage at 6,256 won, radish at +33%
As of Oct. 6, a head of cabbage retailed at 6,256 won, down 6.5% from a year earlier. Good weather is expected to lift fall cabbage output by more than 19%.
Radish went the other way: 2,778 won each, up nearly 33%. Maeil Shinmun and YTN reported the same figures.
The seasoning aisle is the real test
Salted shrimp (saeujeot) rose over 23% to 18,973 won per kg, and peeled garlic climbed almost 25% to 11,789 won per kg. Cheaper cabbage does not offset a pricier filling.
The government discount is 20%, capped at 10,000 won per person per week; traditional markets get 30%.
More people buy their kimjang ready-salted
The share of households making kimchi at home fell 2.2 points to 62.3%. Among cabbage buyers, 58.9% pick pre-salted cabbage.
Lotte Mart's first pre-order round priced 20kg at 29,900 won for Haenam (event card), 35,900 won for Goesan and 59,900 won for Pyeongchang highland. E-Mart's contract-grown salted cabbage is 27,800 won with a card discount. Lotte Mart's first batch sold out early.
A UNESCO-listed day of making it together
Kimjang was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013. The listing recognises families and neighbours making large batches in late autumn to last through winter, and sharing them.
Which is why rising prices rarely empty the kimchi tubs.
Dates to mark before you buy
The second salted-cabbage pre-order round opens Oct. 23 at the three big marts. The government's kimchi-vegetable supply plan is due Oct. 25, and pickup of pre-orders starts Nov. 5.
Peak kimjang in the capital area and Chungcheong is mid-to-late November, when cabbage and radish discounts begin.
Sources & context
2026-10-17T14:19:23.146Z
Maeil Shinmun (Oct. 10, 2026) ↗YTN (Oct. 8, 2026) ↗UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list ↗Flickr · USAG-Humphreys · CC BY 2.0 ↗Photo credit
USAG-Humphreys / Flickr (2012) · CC BY 2.0Kimjang filling mixed with cabbage. Archive photo from a December 2012 volunteer kimjang in Seoul's Hongje-dong (USAG-Humphreys, CC BY 2.0).
Photo credit
USAG-Humphreys / Flickr (2012) · CC BY 2.0Salted cabbages stacked and ready. Archive photo from a December 2012 volunteer kimjang in Seoul's Hongje-dong (USAG-Humphreys, CC BY 2.0).
Photo credit
USAG-Humphreys / Flickr (2012) · CC BY 2.0Volunteers mixing seasoning by hand. Archive photo from a December 2012 volunteer kimjang in Seoul's Hongje-dong (USAG-Humphreys, CC BY 2.0).