South Korea's exports of kimchi hit a fresh record high in the first half of this year, driven by the growing global popularity of Korean cuisine, particularly in North America and Europe, data showed Sunday.Outbound shipments of kimchi, a traditional Korean side dish typically made from fermented cabbage, reached 23,900 tons during the first six months of the year, up 4.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service and the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corp.The half yearly figure has been on a steady rise over the past 10 years, up from 11,500 tons in 2015 and 11,900 tons in 2016 to 20,300 tons in 2020 and 22,200 tons in 2022.In terms of value, kimchi exports came to US$83.8 million for the first half, marking the second highest following $86.7 billion in 2021.The increase in kimchi exports is attributed to rising demand from North America and Europe.Exports of kimchi to the United States jumped 20 percent on-year to 6,600 tons in the six-month period through June, while those to Canada soared 34 percent on-year to 900 tons.Overseas sales of Korean kimchi in the Netherlands also vaulted 34 percent on-year to 1,300 tons in the first half.By value, kimchi exports to the U.S. reached a record $24.1 million, up 18.9 percent from a year earlier, followed by the Netherlands with $5.6 million, Britain with $4.2 million and Canada with $3.8 million.Japan, the biggest buyer of South Korean kimchi, bought 9,600 tons of Korean kimchi, or $28.3 million, over the past six months, down 11.9 percent from a year ago.Meanwhile, South Korea's imports of kimchi came to $83.4 million in the first half, down from $78.8 million a year ago.Source: Yonhap News Agency