The frozen food market is growing in Korea due to its advantages of convenience in storage and cooking. As the aftereffect of COVID-19, the demand for easy-to-cook frozen foods is increasing as the preference for home-cooked meals grows and as air fryers become popular. In both online and offline distribution channels, frozen food is classified as a separate category, and product types are diversifying to include dumplings, fried foods, side dishes, frozen rice, pizza, hot dogs, and bakeries.

#The Popularity of Easy-To-Cook Frozen Food
Since frozen foods are convenient to store and cook, the demand for them is increasing, especially among consumers who seek convenience in their busy lives. According to the Food Information Statistics System (FIS) of the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, the frozen food market is growing. Frozen food production is estimated to have increased by 30.1% from about USD 1,685 million (KRW 1,320) in 2017 to about USD 2,193.2 million in 2020. Due to COVID-19, the demand for home-cooked meals has expanded, and the HMR (Home Meal Replacement) market has grown, leading to an increase in consumption of  frozen food. This has also been influenced by the spread of air fryers and the increase in the launch of premium frozen products. Another reason for the growth of the frozen food market is that consumers are choosing frozen food such as frozen chicken and frozen pizza instead of expensive delivery chicken or delivery  pizza in consideration of cost-effectiveness.

#Korea Frozen Food Exports on the Rise too
Korea’s frozen food exports also increased by 275.7% from USD 12.06 million in 2017 to USD 45.32 million in 2021. Dumplings, which has the largest export volume, exported USD 39.24 million in 2021, an increase of 228.6% compared to 2017, and corn dogs were USD 4.84 million, up 232.1% from 2017. Pizza exported USD 1.25 million, an increase of 314.3% compared to 2018. It is estimated that the increase in Korea's frozen food exports was influenced by the globalization of Korean culture and contents, and the increased demand for convenience foods due to COVID-19.
In Korea's online and offline distribution channels, frozen food is so popular that it is classified as a separate category. In addition, products of various flavors and shapes are being launched as the frozen food market grows. The variety of products is diversifying, including dumplings, fried foods, side dishes (Tteokgalbi, etc.), frozen rice, pizza, hot dogs, and bakeries. Satisfaction with frozen food is also high. In a consumer survey on frozen food, 75.2% responded that they were satisfied. For that reason, most consumer chose taste (48.4%). Easy cooking, various types, and excellent quality are other reasons why consumers prefer frozen foods.

#Diversification of Frozen Food Types
The most popular product is dumplings, which was the highest at 56.4% in the frozen food preference survey. Food companies are seeking to expand the market through various attempts. such as developing new products or changing the ingredients used in existing products. In the case of the CJ CheilJedang Corp.’s ‘Bibigo’ brand, which has a high market share, is launching about 60 types of  dumplings. Each product has a different recipe or ingredients in dumplings, and vegan dumplings have also been released with the spread of vegetarian trends. Frozen pizza and frozen hot dogs for snacks, frozen Tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties) and frozen pork cutlet for side dishes are also popular, and frozen fried rice, which is increasingly purchased for meals, is expected to grow in the market in the future. Ottogi Co., Ltd., the first frozen pizza pioneer in Korea, has lauched about 26 types of frozen pizza, including ‘All-Meat-Combo Pizza’ with various sausages and ham as toppings. In addition, there are various frozen fried rice products, including ‘Pork Back-Bone Stew Pan-Fried Rice’. Pulmuone Co., Ltd.’s ‘Block Cheese Tonkatsu’ is a mozzarella cheese wrapped with pork sirloin, and is characterized by being simple to cook in an air fryer. ‘Neobiani, Marinated Grilled Beef Slices’ from ORGA, a premium market of Pulmuone Co., Ltd., is popular as a side dish for children and as a snack for adults.