올해 4인가족 김장비용 26만 7천원...최적일은 서울 11월 29일<br /><br />Starting from later this month, South Koreans begin Kimjang or making kimchi to sustain them through the winter. <br />It has been a long tradition for communities to make and share large quantities of the staple dish. <br />Hong Yoo has the details on the cost of making kimchi this year. <br /> Late autumn is a busy season for many South Korean households as November is the month of "Kimjang", the traditional process of making kimchi.<br />This year, a family of four will spend approximately 235 U.S. dollars to buy the vegetables, spices and other ingredients for kimchi at a traditional market.<br />If they choose to shop at a supermarket, it will cost them around 272 U.S. dollars.<br />Data from Korea Price Information, a pricing agency, shows the cost of each ingredient.<br />Cabbage, the main ingredient of kimchi, costs around 3 U.S. dollars per head.<br />Its cost had increased during summer due to the heat wave. But the prices are stable now that the weather is cool and the cultivation area of cabbages has increased.<br />The price of white radish and young radish, which are used for other types of kimchi, have also stayed stable at around 3 dollars and 3 dollars fifty cents per bundle, respectively.<br />But the prices of minor ingredients such as red pepper powder and ginger have increased.<br />South Korea had a hotter summer than usual this year and the cold season also came earlier, resulting in a fall in production.<br />Red pepper powder currently costs more than 16 U.S. dollars per 600 grams and ginger costs almost 9 U.S. dollars per 800 grams.<br />According to Korean weather service Kweather, late November and early December is the best time of the year to make kimchi as kimchi tastes best when preserved between 0 and 4 degrees Celsius.<br />Hong Yoo, Arirang News. <br />
