After 17 years of quarantine negotiations, South Korean sweet persimmons will enter the Chinese market for the first time.
According to Yonhap, the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Agricultural Trade Agency (aT) announced on June 6 that the ceremony for loading the first batch of sweet persimmons exported to China took place in Changwon City, Gyeongsangnam-do. The total weight of the sweet persimmons exported was approximately 19.6 tons, consisting of 1,960 boxes.
In 2008, South Korea requested to export sweet persimmons to China for the first time. Over the following 17 years, multiple rounds of negotiations were held between the two sides regarding core issues such as quarantine standards and pest control.
On November 1, 2025, the Memorandum of Understanding signed during the Sino-Korean leaders' meeting became a crucial turning point.
South Korea plans to carry out promotional and consumer experience activities in major cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen to help Korean sweet persimmons gain a foothold in the Chinese market. In particular, in conjunction with the 33rd APEC Informal Meeting of Leaders that will be held in Shenzhen, China, South Korea will organize Korean food experience activities and buyer meetings from the 21st to the 24th.
As a major global producer of sweet persimmons, Korea's exports of sweet persimmons were previously mainly to Southeast Asian countries and Hong Kong, China. It is understood that while Korean fresh persimmons are allowed to be exported to China, persimmon pie from Yinan County in Shandong Province, China, has also begun to be exported to Korea. Some unique persimmon products continue to be sold to Korea through cross-border trade.
