Cabbage crisis cries out for FTA

The Republic of Korea (ROK) is facing a cabbage crisis, with the price of the vegetable reaching a historic high of more than 10,000 won (nearly $9) a piece.

To overcome the crisis, the ROK government lifted its tariff on cabbage imports temporarily on Oct 14 and decided to import the vegetable from China. Soon ROK businesspeople flooded the vegetable fields in Shandong and Liaoning provinces, and Tianjin municipality to buy cabbages.

The apparent reason for the cabbage crisis in the ROK is natural disasters. Cabbage production fell dramatically in the ROK because it was battered by typhoon and torrential rain.