The consideration regarding the changing structure of the “Wakame” processing industry in Korea

Abstract

The “Wakame” (a kind of seaweed) processing industry, as well as the “Nori” (laver) processing industry, has occupied principal position in the Korean marine products processing industries, and they has formed two kinds of basic processing industries in there. From the first, the “Wakame” industry, processing the steaming-salting “Wakame”, has mainly developed as the export business for the Japanese market. But, in the 1990’s, the “Wakame” industry was put in the decline of exporting its products, caused by increasing of the Chinese products. In the result, now, the “Wakame” industry is proceeding to restructure itself by decreasing the processing companies and promoting the intensification of the productive areas in its industry. These restructuring will be advanced in the two direction of switching from processing the steaming-salting “Wakame” to processing the dried “Wakame” and changing the marketing-strategy rather for the domestic needs than for the foreign.

This article analyzed the actual conditions of the “Wakame” industry in the Chollanam-do Wando-Wando-up in order to explain the significance of changing structure of the “Wakame” processing industry in Korea.