"Gimpab Nearing 4,000 Won a Roll"... Rising Rice and Egg Prices Add to Cost Burden

As the prices of core ingredients such as rice, eggs, and seaweed rise, the price of gimpab is increasing at the fastest rate among major dining-out items.

According to T-Price, the price information portal of the Korea Consumer Agency, the average price of a roll of gimpab in Seoul stood at 3,838 won as of last June, up 5.9% from a year earlier.

The growth rate was the highest among other surveyed items, which included pork belly at 4.3%, knife-cut noodles at 3.6%, cold noodles at 2.8%, ginseng chicken soup at 2.8%, bibimbap at 2.7%, jajangmyeon at 2.1%, and kimchi stew at 1.8%.

The Korea Consumer Agency designates eight major dining-out items with high public consumption frequencies to track price trends, and gimpab prices have been rising the fastest among them.

The average price of a roll of gimpab in the Seoul area rose from 3,723 won in December of last year to 3,800 won in January of this year, and climbed again to 3,838 won over a span of five months.

Experts analyze that the prices of core gimpab ingredients such as rice, eggs, and seaweed have driven up production costs, ultimately leading to higher prices.

According to the consumer price index from the Korea National Statistical Office, rice prices in the second quarter rose 13.2% from a year earlier.

Eggs rose 9.0% and seaweed rose 2.5%.

Driven by rising agricultural and livestock product prices, the upward trend in gimpab prices appears to be expanding.

The gimpab price growth rate further widened from 4.2% last June to 4.5% in July.

With high inflation expected to persist for the time being, analysts project that the burden of dining-out costs, including gimpab, will not be easily eased in the short term.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.