Gimbap, a staple of everyday Korean meals, is making inroads into the U.S. market. After clearing out freezer sections at American grocery chains, the seaweed rice rolls are now showing up in export figures.
Sales of Bibigo frozen gimbap in the United States rose 59% in the first seven months of this year from a year earlier, CJ CheilJedang said on the 2nd. The number of stores carrying the product jumped 145% to 4,734 from 1,924 a year earlier, after the company secured shelf space at 10 major U.S. retail channels including Kroger, Albertsons, Food Lion and Meijer. Cumulative global sales have surpassed 8 million units, with average annual revenue growth of 130%.
Not Sushi, but Korean Gimbap: A New K-Food Contender
Signs of the product's popularity first surfaced on television. When the cast of tvN's "Unexpected Business 3" ran a store overseas, customers lined up from the first morning of business, and one shopper ordered 30 rolls at once, catching the staff off guard.
The Washington Post devoted coverage to gimbap, explaining how it differs from Japanese maki. The rice is seasoned with salt and sesame oil rather than vinegar and sugar, and the fillings are blanched and seasoned, the paper reported. Park Eun-jo, a chef working in New York, told the Post that gimbap is "nostalgic and comforting" and that it "means a mother's love."
Exports of dried seaweed, the wrapper that defines the dish, are also climbing. Korean seaweed exports totaled about $479 million in the first eight months of this year, according to KATI, the agrifood export information service. The figure extends the upward trend after annual exports topped $1 billion for the first time in 2025.
Industry officials say Korean gimbap is establishing itself as an affordable, healthy convenience food and emerging as the next K-food hit after instant noodles.
