As of the October 2, 2026 KAMIS survey: wholesale price of a 10 kg box of Korean sweet potatoes, the per-kg price, the cheapest month by 10-year average, the difference between bam, hobak and honey sweet potatoes, and how to store a 10 kg box.
Search for a box of new-crop Korean sweet potatoes and 10 kg can cost anywhere from the KRW 20,000s to over KRW 50,000, depending on variety and size. Starting from the wholesale price makes it easier to judge, and right now is the cheapest time of the year.
Bottom line: as of the October 2, 2026 KAMIS survey, top-grade bam (chestnut) sweet potatoes sold for KRW 33,300 per 10 kg in Seoul, about KRW 3,330 per kg. That is 9% below KRW 36,600 in mid-September and close to KRW 32,600 a year earlier. On 2016–2025 Seoul monthly averages, October (KRW 30,769) is the cheapest month of the year.
1. Where prices stand.
| City | Top grade, 10 kg (October 2) |
|---|---|
| Busan | 34,600 |
| Daegu | 33,600 |
| Seoul | 33,300 |
| Gwangju | 30,300 |
| Daejeon | 29,000 |
The medium grade in Seoul was KRW 26,000 (about KRW 2,600 per kg). These are wholesale intermediary prices; retail boxes add sorting, packing and delivery.
2. October is the cheapest month.
Ten-year Seoul averages show October at KRW 30,769 and June at KRW 40,038, a 30% gap. Sweet potatoes are dug in September–October and stored through winter and spring, so supply is largest right after harvest. January was pricier than the preceding October in 7 of the 9 years from 2016 to 2024.
3. Is this year expensive?
KRW 33,300 is 8% above the 10-year October average and 2% above a year ago, in line with recent years.
4. For growers: harvest, curing and when to sell.
Korea’s Rural Development Administration advises harvesting about 120 days after transplanting (around 110 days for dry, bam types and 130 days for moist, hobak types), and always before the first frost. Cure within a week of harvest at 30–33°C and 90–95% humidity for about 4 days, then store at 12–15°C and 80–90% humidity.
On 10-year Seoul averages, January runs about 10% above October and June about 30% above. January beat the preceding October in 7 of 9 years, by 12.6% on average. Storage only pays if that gain exceeds weight loss, rot and refrigeration costs. Grading also matters: top grade was KRW 33,300 and medium grade KRW 26,000 in Seoul on October 2, a 28% gap, and Busan paid 19% more than Daejeon.
5. Bam, hobak and honey sweet potatoes.
Bam sweet potatoes are dry, fluffy and chestnut-like; hobak (pumpkin) sweet potatoes are orange-fleshed and moist; “honey” sweet potatoes are moist and very sweet, often the Beniharuka variety. Sweet potatoes get sweeter after a few weeks of storage as starch turns to sugar. KAMIS surveys only bam sweet potatoes.
6. Storing a 10 kg box.
Keep them at 12–15°C and 80–90% humidity. Below 10°C they suffer chilling injury, so do not refrigerate. Wrap them in newspaper, keep them somewhere cool and ventilated indoors, and eat damaged ones first.
7. Conclusion.
On October 2, 2026, top-grade bam sweet potatoes cost KRW 33,300 per 10 kg in Seoul, about KRW 3,330 per kg. Prices are lowest every October and rise toward early summer, so October–November is the best time to buy a box, while growers who can cure and store well should weigh selling part of the crop after January.
Sources
- aT KAMIS, period wholesale (intermediary) prices: sweet potato (bam) top and medium grade 10 kg, five cities, September 2025–October 2, 2026 (Public Data Portal API).
- aT KAMIS monthly prices: sweet potato (bam) top grade 10 kg, Seoul, 2016–2026.
- Rural Development Administration, post-harvest quality management for sweet potatoes (harvest timing, curing and storage conditions).
- USDA Agricultural Handbook 66 (sweet potato chilling injury).
- Actual prices vary by variety, size, origin, market and terms of sale.