[Edaily Reporter Kim Min-jung ] The average price of a single gimbap roll in Seoul has approached 4,000 won. As ingredient and labor costs have risen consecutively, the price burden has increased, and the number of snack bars nationwide has been declining for over two years.

According to price data from the Korea Consumer Agency’s comprehensive price information portal on the 30th, the average price of a single kimbap roll in Seoul last month was 3,869 won, up 6.8% from 3,623 won in the same month last year.

The price of a roll of gimbap, which was 3,723 won in December of last year, rose to 3,800 won in January of this year, then to 3,838 won in June and 3,869 won in July.

Rising ingredient costs are driving up prices. In the second quarter of this year, rice prices rose 13.2% compared to the same period last year. Potatoes rose 11.1%, green onions 10.0%, soy sauce 9.3%, and eggs 9%.

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), the average retail price for 10 sheets of dried seaweed also rose from 899 won in 2021 to 1,422 won this year.

On top of this, labor costs are a significant burden. This year’s minimum hourly wage is 10,320 won, a 2.9% increase from last year, and it will rise to 10,700 won next year.

Gimbap is a labor-intensive dish, as it requires cooking rice, preparing various ingredients, and rolling the rolls by hand. While ingredient and labor costs continue to rise, it is difficult to simply raise prices. This is because, with a single roll costing nearly 4,000 won, the price has become too high for consumers to readily purchase.

The growing number of options—such as convenience stores and cafeterias—where people can get a relatively inexpensive meal also puts pressure on snack bars.

In fact, the number of snack bars continues to decline. According to the National Tax Service’s Tax Statistics Portal (TASIS), as of June of this year, there were 47,863 snack bar operators nationwide.

The number of snack bar operators, which stood at 54,088 in November 2023, has declined for 31 consecutive months since December of that year. By September of last year, the figure had fallen below 50,000.

The situation is similar for gimbap franchises. Go Bong-min Gimbap, which had 591 stores in 2020, has seen that number drop to 383 this year. Kimga-ne has also decreased from 459 stores in 2021 to 335 this year.

As food prices have risen, household spending on food has also increased. According to the Korea Statistics Portal (KOSIS), the average monthly food expenditure for all households in the second quarter of this year was 891,000 won, a 3.3% increase from a year ago.

In particular, the average monthly food expenditure for households in the second income quintile—those in the bottom 20–40% of income—rose by 6.9% to 657,000 won, marking the highest growth rate among all income quintiles.

Kim Kwang-seok, Director of the Economic Research Division at the Korea Economic and Industrial Research Institute, pointed out, “As low-income households are increasingly reliant on debt, coupled with rising interest rates, there is concern that the burden of inflation and debt on low-income households will grow even heavier.”