South Korea Faces Rising โฃFoodโ Pricesโข as Drought and Heatwave Impact โKey crops
Seoul,South korea – August 31,2025 – South Korean consumers are facing increasing prices for staple vegetables like cabbage and โpotatoes as a severe drought and rising temperatures disrupt crop yields. The โฃsituation has prompted government intervention and raised concernsโ about the long-term impact ofโฃ climate change on food security.
The priceโข increasesโค are being attributed โto what experts are calling a “heat+inflation” effect. Analysis indicates that a 1-degree Celsius rise in temperature correlatesโฃ with a 0.5% increase in agricultural โproduct prices, directly linking climateโข change to rising costs for consumers.
Images from Seoul’s โขlarge โmarts show โshoppersโค examining โคcabbage with visible concern, reflecting the growing anxieties over grocery bills.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced plans to bolster monitoring โofโค mountainous regions ahead of the summer and Chuseok (Korean thanksgiving) peak season. Support for crop growth will be provided through fertilizer, pesticides, and โขpreliminary grave supplies. Furthermore, major retailers โ- including large marts, smaller stores, and customary markets – โwill offer discounts of up to 40% on select items to alleviate the financial burden on shoppers.
“Weโ will prepareโฃ measures to stabilize the supply and demand of Chuseok,” stated an official from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, addingโ thatโฃ a detailed plan will be announced in mid-September.
The drought’s impact is notably acute in Gangwon-do province, where the city of Gangneungโค has beenโ officially declared a disaster area. President Lee Jae-myung visited the region today to chair aโ drought response meeting and authorized the deployment of the National Fireโ Dongwon โฃDecree. The government is mobilizing 50 fire tank carsโฃ to deliverโค an additional 2,000 tons of water per day toโข affected areas. “Mobilize the available resources to minimize drought damage,” President Lee instructed.
The situation in Gangwon-do is being framed as a symptom of a broader climate crisis, with โฃrepeatedโฃ extreme โขweather events threatening the stabilityโ of agricultural production and impacting householdโ budgets. Potatoes and cabbage, often referred to asโข “national ingredients” dueโข to their widespread use in Korean cuisine, are experiencingโ particularly sharp price increases.
Experts are calling forโ comprehensive solutions, including improvements to water management systems, diversification of crop varieties, andโ the establishment of secure importโฃ channels. โ The increasing prevalence of terms like “gold cabbage” and “financial potatoes” – slang โขreferencing the high cost of thes staples – serves as a warning that basic changes to the agricultural, distribution, and consumption structures โare urgently needed.
