Cabbage calamity

This may sound funny to you, but South Korea is having a 'cabbage crisis' and we all know how important the cabbage is in that part of the globe.

Shoppers queue for cabbages at the Hyundai Department Store in Seoul
taking advantage of the short cabbage sale.
The cabbage, once snubbed upon during medieval Europe,
is the most sort after green in the Orient.

There's a shortage of this humble vegetable and prices are skyrocketing. But what may seem like a trivial problem has roots that run much deeper.

In August, floods devastated North Korea displacing about 300,000 people and submerging vast swaths of farmland. The impoverished state, who frequently faces chronic food shortages, is now facing the dangers of famine. Many civilians are now unprepared for the harsh winter to come.

South Korea's main cabbage importer is North Korea, but with the recent disaster, South Korea now largely relies on China cabbage imports where a bundle can cost from 1,800WON - 2,000WON (RM6.50-RM7.20), a 75% price increase from last year's North Korean cabbages.

Source: Alertnet.org, North Korean Economy Watch

Pic Credit: Joong Ang Daily

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