Korea's Top Food and Drink Exports by Product Category, 2025
2025년 한국 식음료 수출 품목 순위
Pasta and noodles, a category that includes instant noodles, was Korea's largest food and drink export in 2025 at $1.63 billion, up 19.8%. This ranks 25 customs product categories from KITA's K-stat data, from food preparations to edible seaweed.
Data as of (full year 2025)
| Rank | Product category | HS code | 2025 exports (US$) | 2024 exports (US$) | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pasta and noodles, other than stuffed or plain uncooked (includes instant noodles) | HS 1902.30 | $1,632,346,627 | $1,362,429,067 | +19.8% | 1 |
| 2 | Food preparations not elsewhere specified: other | HS 2106.90 | $961,221,240 | $900,740,990 | +6.7% | 1 |
| 3 | Fruit, nuts and plant parts otherwise prepared or preserved: other | HS 2008.99 | $687,399,086 | $636,476,615 | +8.0% | 1 |
| 4 | Flavoured or sweetened non-alcoholic drinks: other | HS 2202.99 | $574,078,118 | $603,561,344 | -4.9% | 1 |
| 5 | Edible seaweed and other algae fit for human consumption | HS 1212.21 | $563,576,043 | $476,561,517 | +18.3% | 1 |
| 6 | Bread, pastry, cakes and biscuits: other | HS 1905.90 | $437,725,853 | $400,708,879 | +9.2% | 1 |
| 7 | Sauces, mixed condiments and seasonings: other | HS 2103.90 | $390,072,154 | $373,372,226 | +4.5% | 1 |
| 8 | Tuna and related fish fillets and meat, frozen | HS 0304.87 | $249,192,467 | $255,360,746 | -2.4% | 1 |
| 9 | Coffee extracts, essences and concentrates | HS 2101.11 | $203,113,370 | $157,051,796 | +29.3% | 1 |
| 10 | Mackerel, frozen (whole) | HS 0303.54 | $196,266,054 | $84,387,782 | +132.6% | 1 |
| 11 | Other prepared or preserved vegetables, not frozen: other | HS 2005.99 | $176,948,325 | $178,125,934 | -0.7% | 1 |
| 12 | Waters with added sugar or flavour, including mineral and aerated | HS 2202.10 | $159,020,095 | $167,632,066 | -5.1% | 1 |
| 13 | Malt extract and flour, starch or malt-extract preparations: other | HS 1901.90 | $145,819,759 | $131,111,053 | +11.2% | 1 |
| 14 | Prepared cereal foods (swollen, roasted or pre-cooked grain): other | HS 1904.90 | $129,635,658 | $165,487,839 | -21.7% | 1 |
| 15 | Skipjack tuna, frozen (whole) | HS 0303.43 | $128,254,388 | $190,665,285 | -32.7% | 1 |
| 16 | Refined cane or beet sugar: other | HS 1701.99 | $120,363,539 | $182,340,624 | -34.0% | 1 |
| 17 | Ice cream and other edible ice | HS 2105.00 | $118,735,153 | $98,412,620 | +20.7% | 1 |
| 18 | Sugar confectionery: other | HS 1704.90 | $108,227,925 | $99,064,959 | +9.2% | 1 |
| 19 | Spirits and spirituous beverages: other | HS 2208.90 | $106,008,467 | $110,614,292 | -4.2% | 1 |
| 20 | Crabs, frozen | HS 0306.14 | $104,773,574 | $80,014,651 | +30.9% | 1 |
| 21 | Liqueurs and cordials | HS 2208.70 | $100,637,246 | $96,539,636 | +4.2% | 1 |
| 22 | Cuttlefish and squid, frozen | HS 0307.43 | $87,130,742 | $49,673,148 | +75.4% | 1 |
| 23 | Crabs, live, fresh or chilled | HS 0306.33 | $86,258,312 | $82,174,552 | +5.0% | 1 |
| 24 | Grapes, fresh | HS 0806.10 | $85,382,869 | $56,765,678 | +50.4% | 1 |
| 25 | Rice, semi-milled or wholly milled | HS 1006.30 | $85,332,663 | $64,128,512 | +33.1% | 1 |
Values are customs export values in US dollars for the full year 2025 and 2024 from KITA's K-stat, and the change is K-stat's own percentage.1 Categories are 6-digit Harmonized System (HS) subheadings, ranked by 2025 value. The scope is chapters 02–04, 07–11 and 16–22 plus subheading 1212.21 (edible seaweed); live animals, fats and oils, animal feed, tobacco and the rest of chapter 12 are left out. The labels are DabPop's shortening of the official subheading names, and "other" means the residual subheading under that heading. HS codes are customs categories, not brands: a code can hold products consumers know by other names, and specific foods such as kimchi or soju can't be separated at this level. HS 1902.30 includes instant noodles; DabPop's ramyeon explainer counts the ramyeon line alone at $1.52 billion of its $1.63 billion.2 Rows are not added together into a total.
The top 10
Food preparations not elsewhere specified (HS 2106.90)
$961,221,240$961,221,240 in 2025, against $900,740,990 in 2024 (+6.7%).1 This residual subheading collects prepared foods that no other heading names.
Preserved fruit, nuts and plant parts (HS 2008.99)
$687,399,086$687,399,086 in 2025, against $636,476,615 in 2024 (+8.0%).1
Flavoured or sweetened non-alcoholic drinks (HS 2202.99)
$574,078,118$574,078,118 in 2025, against $603,561,344 in 2024 (-4.9%).1 It is the only one of the top five to fall.
Edible seaweed (HS 1212.21)
$563,576,043$563,576,043 in 2025, against $476,561,517 in 2024 (+18.3%).1 This subheading is for seaweed and other algae fit for human consumption; it is the one chapter-12 subheading included in this ranking.
Bread, pastry, cakes and biscuits (HS 1905.90)
$437,725,853$437,725,853 in 2025, against $400,708,879 in 2024 (+9.2%).1
Sauces, condiments and seasonings (HS 2103.90)
$390,072,154Frozen tuna fillets and meat (HS 0304.87)
$249,192,467$249,192,467 in 2025, against $255,360,746 in 2024 (-2.4%).1
Coffee extracts, essences and concentrates (HS 2101.11)
$203,113,370$203,113,370 in 2025, against $157,051,796 in 2024 (+29.3%).1 Its growth was the fastest of the top ten apart from mackerel.
Frozen mackerel (HS 0303.54)
$196,266,054$196,266,054 in 2025, against $84,387,782 in 2024 (+132.6%).1 The 132.6% rise was the largest of any row in the top 25.
Sources
- Korea International Trade Association (KITA), K-stat, export and import by item (HS, 6-digit), 2025 cumulative January–December, all 5,531 subheadings read, retrieved 2026-10-22.
- DabPop, Korea's Ramyeon Export Boom, by the Numbers, retrieved 2026-10-22.