Korea's seafood imports rise for 3rd yr in 2016

Published : Feb 23, 2017 - 11:06 Updated : Feb 23, 2017 - 11:06

South Korea's seafood imports rose for the third straight year in 2016 on rising demand for healthier food and ingredients, government data showed Thursday.

The total value of imported seafood reached $4.79 billion in 2016, up 5.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans.

(Yonhap)

It marked the third consecutive year of growth in imports since 2014, when they posted a 15.7 percent on-year jump.

The amount, however, slid 2.4 percent on-year to 5.37 million tons last year.

Pollack was the most popular foreign seafood in South Korea, with $419.2 million worth of the fish imported, followed by shrimp with $340 million and salmon with $256.4 million.

By country, China exported $1.23 billion worth of seafood to South Korea last year, while Russia, Vietnam and Norway sold maritime products worth $700.5 million, $621.2 million and $300 million, respectively.

Meanwhile, South Korea's seafood exports gained 10.6 percent on-year to $2.13 billion in 2016. (Yonhap)