As of the October 2, 2026 KAMIS survey: Korean red chili pepper wholesale prices by city, how they compare with a year ago and the 10-year October average, and what it means for dried pepper and kimchi-season chili powder.
At the end of August, a 10 kg box of red chili peppers sold for about KRW 45,000 at Seoul’s wholesale markets. A month later it was over KRW 200,000. Growers who still have peppers in the field now face three questions at once: sell fresh now, dry them, and which market to send them to.
Bottom line: as of the October 2, 2026 KAMIS survey, top-grade red chili peppers sold for KRW 202,000 per 10 kg in Seoul. That is 4.5 times the KRW 45,000 of August 27 and 94% above KRW 104,000 a year earlier. It is about 1.9 times the 2016–2025 Seoul October average of KRW 105,427, the second-highest October after 2020 (KRW 212,211). On the same day Gwangju paid KRW 98,300, half the Seoul price.
Try it yourself: the produce market sales calculator compares what you keep in Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Gwangju and Daejeon at today’s prices.
1. Where prices stand.
| Date (Seoul, top grade, 10 kg) | Price |
|---|---|
| August 27 | 45,000 |
| September 1 | 67,500 |
| September 14 | 87,700 |
| September 21 | 197,000 |
| September 28 | 212,000 |
| October 2 | 202,000 |
The biggest jump came in the week before Chuseok: from KRW 107,000 on September 18 to KRW 197,000 on September 21, up 84%. The September average was KRW 119,820, 73% above September 2025.
2. A twofold gap between cities.
| City | October 2 | September 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Seoul | 202,000 | 67,500 |
| Daegu | 163,000 | 48,000 |
| Daejeon | 117,000 | 53,300 |
| Gwangju | 98,300 | 53,300 |
| Busan | 90,000 | 44,000 |
In early September the five cities were within KRW 40,000–60,000. Seoul then tripled and Daegu rose 3.4 times, while Gwangju and Busan roughly doubled. These are intermediary selling prices; the auction price a grower receives is lower and varies by grade, so check recent auction results with your market before switching where you ship.
3. Against a year ago and the 10-year average.
From 2016 to 2025, Seoul’s October average for red chili peppers was higher than September’s in every single year. The crop normally gets more expensive into autumn; this year the rise was unusually large and fast. November was mixed: higher than October in 4 of the 10 years, lower in 6.
4. Supply did not suddenly disappear.
Seoul’s Garak and Gangseo markets received about 1.1 tonnes of red chili peppers a day in late September, close to the week before (1,178 kg on September 22 vs 1,171 kg; 1,098 kg on October 1 vs 938 kg). A sudden drop in Seoul arrivals does not explain the late-September level, so this article does not pin the jump on a single cause.
The supply backdrop matters, though. In January the Korea Rural Economic Institute put intended 2026 dried-pepper planting at 25,014 ha, 2.8% below 2025 and 9.9% below normal. Peppers are hard to mechanize and are hit hard by labor shortages.
5. Dried pepper and kimchi-season chili powder.
Kimchi-season chili powder prices follow dried peppers, not fresh red peppers, and dried peppers have barely moved. Seoul top-grade sun-dried peppers (30 kg) went from KRW 657,000 in July–August to KRW 675,000 from September 1, up 2.7%, and have stayed there. Dried peppers are stored and sold all year, so the new-crop dried pepper price in October–November will matter more for this year’s kimchi costs.
6. Checklist.
- Watch red pepper prices city by city; Seoul and Gwangju differed twofold on October 2.
- Intermediary prices are not auction prices. Check recent auction results before shipping.
- October has been pricier than September every year for a decade; this year by much more.
- For chili powder costs, watch dried pepper prices, which have hardly risen yet.
- Pick the remaining peppers before the first frost.
7. Conclusion.
Seoul red chili peppers sold for KRW 202,000 per 10 kg on October 2, 2026: four times a month earlier and 1.9 times the 10-year October average. Gwangju and Busan paid about half. Growers holding red peppers should use this price level, but confirm auction prices by market and split between fresh and dried sales to limit risk.
Sources
- aT KAMIS, period wholesale (intermediary) prices: red chili pepper top grade 10 kg and sun-dried pepper top grade 30 kg, five cities, September 2025–October 2, 2026 (Public Data Portal API).
- aT KAMIS monthly prices: red chili pepper top grade 10 kg, Seoul, 2016–2026.
- Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation shipment data: red pepper arrivals at Seoul Garak and Gangseo markets, September 22–October 1, 2026.
- Nongmin Shinmun, “[Agricultural Outlook 2026] Autumn radish and cabbage output up, onion and dried pepper down”, January 24, 2026 (KREI 2026 dried-pepper planting intentions).
- Actual prices vary by variety, size, color, market and terms of sale.