Data as of: Korea’s monthly imports by HS code, October 2023 to September 2026, queried October 15, 2026.
Korea’s seasonal seafood demand shows up most clearly before Seollal, not Chuseok. In the two months before each Lunar New Year from 2024 to 2026, Korea’s frozen large yellow croaker imports ran at 2.3 to 2.8 times their monthly average, according to SEACHING analysis of Korea Customs Service data for October 2023 to September 2026.
The number that matters: 3.3x
Korea’s December imports of frozen large yellow croaker (HS 0303.89-5020) against its average month, by weight, October 2023 to September 2026. Seollal 2027 falls on February 7.
Key takeaways
- In the two months before Seollal 2024, 2025 and 2026, Korea’s frozen large yellow croaker imports were 227%, 279% and 239% of their monthly average by weight (SEACHING analysis of Korea Customs Service data).
- Korea’s frozen mackerel, surimi and long-arm octopus (nakji) imports were also above their monthly average before all three Seollal holidays from 2024 to 2026 (SEACHING analysis of Korea Customs Service data).
- None of the 18 seafood HS codes analyzed for Korea’s imports ran above 110% of its monthly average by weight before all three Chuseok holidays from 2024 to 2026 (SEACHING analysis of Korea Customs Service data).
When does Korea import the most seafood?
For Korea’s seafood imports as a whole, the seasons are mild: December runs at 114% of the monthly average by weight and June at 89%, over October 2023 to September 2026. Here, Korea’s seafood imports means HS chapter 03 plus prepared fish and crustaceans (HS 1603–1605); seaweed and salt are excluded.
Individual products swing far more. The calendar covers the 12 HS codes with the largest import value, 40.7% of the total over the three years. The index compares each month with that product’s average month, so 150 means 1.5 times a normal month. The 115 and 85 cut-offs are a reading aid, not a statistical test, and are applied before rounding.
| Month | Above average (index 115 or more) | Below average (index 85 or less) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | Surimi 177, other live crab 131, pollock 119 | Long-arm octopus 71, bluefin tuna fillets 82, squid 83 |
| Feb | Bluefin tuna fillets 135, pollock 118 | Squid 59, webfoot octopus 82, long-arm octopus 83, peeled shrimp 84 |
| Mar | Pollock 176, other frozen crab 131 | Webfoot octopus 75, squid 76, peeled shrimp 84 |
| Apr | Bluefin tuna fillets 191, other live crab 142, other frozen crab 142, pollock 121 | None |
| May | Bluefin tuna fillets 117, squid 115 | Pollock 60, surimi 74 |
| Jun | Bluefin tuna fillets 143, squid 126 | Pollock 17, other live crab 54, surimi 65 |
| Jul | Snow crab 145, squid 119 | Other live crab 23, pollock 53, surimi 76 |
| Aug | Squid 119 | Other live crab 23, bluefin tuna fillets 46, surimi 77, long-arm octopus 83 |
| Sep | Pollock 137, peeled shrimp 119, salmon fillets 116, squid 116 | Other live crab 70, long-arm octopus 82 |
| Oct | Other live crab 128 | Bluefin tuna fillets 57, snow crab 80 |
| Nov | Other live crab 146, long-arm octopus 140, surimi 133 | Bluefin tuna fillets 38, other frozen crab 68 |
| Dec | Long-arm octopus 168, other live crab 162, surimi 137 | None |
Source: SEACHING analysis of Korea Customs Service data, Oct 2023–Sep 2026; method below. Fresh Atlantic salmon stayed between 90 and 112.
Do imports really rise before Seollal and Chuseok?
Before Seollal, yes, for some species. Before Chuseok, no. The table compares the two months before each holiday month with that period’s average.
| Product (HS) | Seollal 2024 | Seollal 2025 | Seollal 2026 | Chuseok 2024 | Chuseok 2025 | Chuseok 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frozen large yellow croaker (0303.89-5020) | 227 | 279 | 239 | 73 | 49 | 59 |
| Frozen small yellow croaker (0303.89-5010) | 215 | 111 | 204 | 23 | 47 | 32 |
| Frozen mackerel (0303.54) | 191 | 114 | 148 | 40 | 70 | 72 |
| Frozen surimi (0304.99-1000) | 170 | 128 | 145 | 81 | 82 | 78 |
| Frozen long-arm octopus, nakji (0307.52-2000) | 128 | 147 | 114 | 99 | 89 | 78 |
| Frozen hairtail (0303.89-2000) | 87 | 111 | 137 | 120 | 124 | 84 |
| Frozen peeled shrimp (0306.17-1090) | 110 | 103 | 101 | 111 | 112 | 102 |
| Frozen pollock (0303.67) | 102 | 79 | 130 | 90 | 129 | 38 |
| All seafood in scope | 118 | 102 | 115 | 94 | 101 | 87 |
Source: SEACHING analysis of Korea Customs Service data; holiday dates from KASI. Index for the two months before the holiday month; window months under Sources and method.
Large yellow croaker is the clearest case: US$228.4 million of imports from October 2023 to September 2026, with a March index of 29. Hairtail rose before two of the three Chuseok holidays (120 and 124) but fell to 84 before Chuseok 2026.
Seollal always falls in winter, so this data cannot separate a holiday effect from a winter effect. Customs data also shows when goods clear, not when they sell.
Why do some species not follow the holidays?
Frozen pollock peaks in March (176) and nearly stops in June (17). Frozen squid runs above average from May to September and falls to 59 in February. Other live crab (HS 0306.33-9000) drops to 23 in July and August.
Government stock also matters. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) supplied 20,000 tonnes of stockpiled seafood before Chuseok 2026, which MOF called its largest such release. The release ran from August 24 to September 27, 2026, and included 15,700 tonnes of pollock, 1,700 tonnes of squid, 1,500 tonnes of mackerel and 800 tonnes of hairtail, at up to 40% below market prices.
Korea’s frozen pollock imports in July and August 2026 were 38% of that period’s average month. That partly overlaps the release, but customs data cannot show that one caused the other. Pollock, mackerel and squid sellers should also watch MOF’s holiday supply announcements.
Is there a summer peak too?
Not for eel. Korea’s live eel imports (HS 0301.92-9090) ran at 81 in July and peaked from October to December (140 to 146). Squid and snow crab do run high in summer by weight, but snow crab’s value peak is December (157), not July (145 by weight). See Korea’s eel imports and king crab and snow crab imports.
When should you ship for Seollal and Chuseok 2027?
Work back from the month the goods must clear Korean customs. For Seollal 2027, the pattern above points to clearance in December 2026 and January 2027. LINKSUP estimates that order, production planning and shipment of frozen seafood typically take about three months, and that this varies a lot by product. Sea transit and Korean inspection come on top.
| Holiday | Date | Pre-holiday import window in the data | Order by, to ship at the start of the window (about 3 months, LINKSUP estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seollal 2027 | February 7, 2027 | December 2026 – January 2027 | September 2026; earlier to allow for transit |
| Chuseok 2027 | September 15, 2027 | July – August 2027 | April 2027; earlier to allow for transit |
Sources: Korea AeroSpace Administration 2027 calendar (June 29, 2026); lead time is a LINKSUP estimate, not a statistic.
For Seollal 2027, that means stock already produced; a new order now is better aimed at Chuseok 2027 or your product’s own peak. The guide to shipping lead times and minimum orders for Korea works through each step. Confirm timing with your importer and a licensed customs broker.
How these figures were compiled
The figures come from SEACHING, a Korea seafood trade data platform operated by LINKSUP, Inc. in Busan. Each product is one 10-digit Korean HS code (HSK), summed across origins. The index uses weight; by value, 10 of the 12 largest codes peak in the same month, while snow crab and fresh Atlantic salmon peak in December.
SEACHING’s Trends tab for large yellow croaker charts import value and unit price for October 2025 to September 2026; the one sharp spike, third from the left, is December 2025.
With three years of data, one unusual year moves the average: bluefin tuna fillets ran at 127, 199 and 246 in April. Read the calendar as a starting point, not a forecast. See also Korea’s seafood self-sufficiency rate, the Korea seafood import report, hairtail and yellow croaker imports, mackerel prices in Korea and MSC and ASC certification in Korea.
Check your product’s monthly pattern before you plan shipments
Compare frozen large yellow croaker imports by month (free sign-up), frozen mackerel imports by month (free sign-up), frozen pollock imports by month (free sign-up) and frozen squid imports by month (free sign-up).
Before you plan your holiday shipments, look up your own product’s month-by-month Korean imports, origins and customs value per kg. SEACHING shows Korea’s seafood imports by 10-digit HS code and month, built on Korea Customs Service data. Look up your product on SEACHING (free sign-up)
FAQ
When are Seollal and Chuseok in 2027?
Seollal 2027 falls on Sunday, February 7 (holiday February 6–8, substitute holiday February 9). Chuseok 2027 falls on Wednesday, September 15 (holiday September 14–16), according to Korea’s official 2027 calendar.
Does Korea import more seafood before Chuseok?
Not consistently. Frozen yellow croaker and mackerel imports were below their monthly average before each Chuseok from 2024 to 2026, according to SEACHING analysis of Korea Customs Service data.
Does the Korean government release seafood stock before holidays?
It did before Chuseok 2026: MOF supplied 20,000 tonnes of stockpiled seafood from August 24 to September 27, 2026, including 15,700 tonnes of pollock, at up to 40% below market prices.
Sources and method
- SEACHING, Korea’s seafood imports by 10-digit HS code and origin, Korea Customs Service data, October 2023 to September 2026, queried October 15, 2026
- Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), calendar data 2024, 2025 and 2026, checked October 15, 2026
- Segye Ilbo, report on the Korea AeroSpace Administration’s 2027 calendar, June 29, 2026, checked October 14, 2026
- Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, press release on the pre-Chuseok stockpile supply, August 23, 2026
- Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries release as posted by the KDI Economic Information and Education Center, August 2026, checked October 15, 2026
- LINKSUP, written answers to the SEACHING blog team, October 13, 2026 (lead-time estimate). A LINKSUP estimate, not a public statistic.
- Codes: the 12 codes in the calendar plus frozen large and small yellow croaker, frozen mackerel, frozen hairtail, frozen king crab (0306.14-2000) and live eel, 18 in all.
- Method: index = a month’s import weight ÷ the average month of the same October–September period × 100, averaged over Oct 2023–Sep 2024, Oct 2024–Sep 2025 and Oct 2025–Sep 2026. Each HS code is summed across origins with at least US$100,000 of imports in the 12 months to September 2026 (about 99.85% of the total); months with no trade count as zero. Scope: HS chapter 03 plus HS 1603–1605, excluding seaweed and salt.
- Holiday windows (two calendar months before the holiday month): Dec–Jan before Seollal 2024 (February 10) and 2026 (February 17); Nov–Dec before Seollal 2025 (January 29); Jul–Aug before Chuseok 2024 (September 17) and 2026 (September 25); Aug–Sep before Chuseok 2025 (October 6). Dates from KASI.
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