Kimjang 2026 in Korea: What Kimchi Season Costs (₩199,456) and the Discounts You Can Use

If you're in Korea this November, you'll notice supermarkets stacked with mountains of napa cabbage and radish, and Reels saying the government is putting ₩64 billion into "half-price kimjang." What those clips skip is what kimjang actually costs, which ingredients got cheaper and which got pricier, and whether any of the discounts reach a visitor. So we cross-checked today's (November 10, 2026) cost report from Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) against the government's own policy briefings. Below are the price table, the three discount programs, and what's worth grabbing as a traveler.

Photo: Korea Policy Briefing (korea.kr), November 3, 2026 article on the kimjang supply plan. A supermarket cabbage and radish display.

1. The short answer: ₩199,456 (about $142) for a family of four, 9.0% cheaper than last year

Kimjang is Korea's late-autumn tradition of making a whole winter's supply of kimchi in one go, often 20+ heads of cabbage per household. Every November the government publishes an official "kimjang cost" as a kind of cost-of-living indicator.

aT's figure for a family of four making 20 heads of cabbage is ₩199,456 (about $142) as of November 9. That's ₩19,615 (9.0%) below last year's early-November average of ₩219,071 and 13.4% below the five-year norm of ₩230,442.

• Surveyed: 17 traditional markets and 36 large retailers across 22 regions, 13 ingredients.
• The price already includes government and retailer discounts.

2. What got cheaper and what didn't

From aT's table (November 9, compared with early November last year). Dollar figures are rough, at about ₩1,400 per dollar.

Ingredient (amount)	Price	vs. last year
Napa cabbage, 20 heads	₩54,980 (~$39)	-26.5%
Korean radish, 5	₩9,195	-5.6%
Red pepper flakes (gochugaru), 2kg	₩59,416 (~$42)	-1.8%
Peeled garlic, 1.3kg	₩15,571	+21.6%
Green onion, 0.9kg	₩2,337	-10.3%
Chives (jjokpa), 0.9kg	₩4,364	-48.9%
Onion, 0.8kg	₩1,575	-1.9%
Ginger, 0.3kg	₩3,069	+3.8%
Mustard greens (gat), 1.4kg	₩5,303	-20.5%
Korean pear, 1.8kg	₩7,396	-4.1%
Sea salt, 6kg	₩13,358	+3.0%
Salted shrimp (saeujeot), 0.8kg	₩16,034 (~$11)	+40.2%
Anchovy fish sauce, 1.2kg	₩6,858	+1.7%
Total	₩199,456 (~$142)	-9.0%

• The priciest item is the chili flakes, not the cabbage. Gochugaru is about 30% of the total and barely moved (-1.8%).
• Salted shrimp (+40.2%) and peeled garlic (+21.6%) jumped. aT puts it down to smaller harvests and says the effect on the total is limited because they're small shares.
• Cabbage fell because of a big harvest. Government figures show autumn cabbage up 18.5% to 1,214,000 tons and autumn radish up 11.1%.

3. The ₩64 billion in discounts: three programs, three deadlines

On November 3, the agriculture and oceans ministries announced a record ₩64 billion (about $46 million) for kimjang discounts, 28% more than last year's ₩50 billion. It's split three ways:

Program	What and how much	Dates	Cap
Supermarket produce	All kimjang ingredients and pork belly for bossam, up to 40% off (20% government + 20% store)	Oct 29 – Dec 2	Varies by store
Seafood fair (Korea Fisheries Festa, Kimjang Special)	Sea salt, salted shrimp, fish sauce, oysters, mackerel, squid, hairtail and more, up to 50% off	Oct 28 – Nov 29	Government 20%, max ₩10,000 (~$7) per person
Farm-produce vouchers	Vouchers for traditional markets sold at 20% off	Seniors Nov 2–8, everyone Nov 9–15	₩100,000 per person

Note that the "up to 50%" applies only to seafood. Produce like cabbage and radish tops out at 40%. Cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, paprika and Shine Muscat grapes were also added to the produce discount this year.

Photo: Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official promo image (as published by Wikitree, October 27, 2026). The Korean reads "Korea Fisheries Festa, Kimjang Season Special, Oct 28 (Wed) – Nov 29 (Sun), see fsale.kr."

The seafood fair runs alongside the Korea Grand Festival. For the other autumn deals running in the same period, see our K-Sale Festa guide to free palaces and duty-free discounts.

4. What a traveler can actually use

The supermarket discounts: yes, at the checkout

The produce discount runs through the stores themselves (government 20% + store 20%) at large and mid-size supermarkets, and the announcements don't mention any residency requirement. Look for a "정부 할인" (government discount) mark on the price tag. If you're staying in a place with a kitchen, a November supermarket run is a cheap time to cook Korean.

The seafood fair: math on the ₩10,000 cap

The government covers 20% but caps it at ₩10,000 per person. ₩50,000 × 20% = ₩10,000, so anything you spend over ₩50,000 (~$36) gets no extra government money, only whatever the store adds. Participating sellers and items are listed at fsale.kr (Korean only).

Photo: Wikitree, October 27, 2026 seafood fair article. Salted shrimp (labeled 새우젓) and fish sauce in a supermarket chiller.

The vouchers: probably not for you

We couldn't find this year's official notice on where the vouchers are sold or how long they're valid, and we couldn't confirm whether foreign visitors can buy them. Treat them as a local-resident perk and plan without them.

The easy souvenir: a kimjang kit or a jar of gochugaru

Per Nonghyup (the national farm cooperative), its "2026 Kimjang Daecheop" sale on the Nonghyup Matsun store runs through December 13: domestic whole cabbage 10kg 40% off, kimjang radish 5kg 45% off, bossam pork 31% off, and a kimjang kit (10kg salted cabbage + 4kg seasoning) cut from ₩73,000 to ₩64,800 (~$46). That's sized for a Korean household, not a suitcase. If you want to take kimchi flavor home, a bag of gochugaru travels far better. Check your home country's food import rules first.

5. Before you shop: quick checklist

• Check the origin label. A crackdown on false origin labels for imported kimchi and seasoning vegetables runs Oct 27 – Dec 5. "국산" means Korean-grown.
• Pesticide checks. 800 safety tests on cabbage, radish, chili and garlic run Oct 12 – Nov 30.
• Prices update weekly. aT plans to publish a new kimjang cost every week, so later-November prices may differ.
• Scale it to your batch. aT prices 20 heads, but the government's survey puts the real household average at 23.4 heads. For 10 heads, cabbage alone is about ₩27,490 (~$20).

Planning to make kimchi with a Korean family or a homestay? Our salted cabbage pre-order guide explains how Koreans skip the salting step.

What we couldn't confirm

• Where farm-produce vouchers are sold, their expiry, and whether foreigners can buy them.
• Separate kimjang costs for traditional markets versus supermarkets. This year's aT release doesn't break them out.

Kimjang 2026 costs ₩199,456 for a family of four, 9.0% less than last year, but salted shrimp and garlic went the other way. If you're cooking in Korea this month, the supermarket produce discount (to Dec 2) and the seafood fair (to Nov 29) are the two you can use. Save this for your trip, and if you join a kimjang day or spot very different prices at a market, drop a comment so we can update the guide.

Sources: Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) kimjang cost release of November 10, 2026, as reported by Etoday, News1, Mediapen, Econovill and Korea Economic Daily; Korea Policy Briefing (korea.kr) "2026 Kimjang Ingredient Supply Stabilization Plan" article and briefing, November 3, 2026; SBS Biz and Kyunghyang Shinmun, November 3, 2026; Wikitree seafood fair report, October 27, 2026; Yonhap-affiliated Korean Center report on Nonghyup's sale, November 4, 2026; fsale.kr. Dollar figures use a rough ₩1,400 per dollar; your card's rate will vary. Prices as of November 9, 2026. Discount terms can differ by store, so check official notices before you buy.