South Korea's exports of traditional rice cakes reached a fresh high in 2024, data showed on Wednesday, driven by the growing popularity of Korean food around the globe.

Outbound shipments of rice cakes reached US$91.4 million in 2024, up 17.5 percent from a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, reports Yonhap news agency.

The latest figure marks a sharp increase from $34.3 million recorded in 2019.

By destination, exports to the United States amounted to $34 million, followed by the Netherlands with $8 million and Vietnam $6.7 million.

The ministry especially attributed the strong shipments of rice cakes to the growing popularity of "tteokbokki," a spicy street food made with rice cakes.

"Amid the popularity of home meal replacements and Korean entertainment content, the demand for tteokbokki has also increased," an agricultural ministry official said.

The Oxford English Dictionary has recently added tteokbokki to its list of entries, explaining it as "a Korean dish consisting of small, cylindrical rice cakes cooked in a spicy sauce made with gochujang, usually served as a snack (often as street food).

Meanwhile, exports of kimchi increased 6.9 per cent from a year earlier to hit a record high in 2024, driven by growing global popularity of Korean cuisine, government data showed.

Outbound shipments of kimchi, a traditional Korean side dish typically made from fermented cabbage, reached a fresh high of 47,100 tons, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The country had exported 44,000 tonnes of kimchi in 2023 and 41,100 tons in 2022. The value of kimchi exports also climbed to a new record high of US$163.6 million in 2024, up 5.2 per cent from the previous year.

South Korea exported kimchi to 95 nations last year, according to the data. Japan was the biggest importer of kimchi, while the United States came in second and the Netherlands third.