The country's exports of kimchi hit a record high in the first half of the year amid the rising popularity of Korean food around the world.

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation on Sunday, outbound shipments of the Korean staple dish came to a record 23-thousand-900 tons in the first six months of the year, up four-point-eight percent from a year earlier.

The first-half figure steadily increased over the past decade, doubling from 15-thousand-500 tons in 2015.

The United States and European countries are the biggest markets for kimchi.

Exports to the United States jumped 20 percent on-year to 66-hundred tons in the first half, while shipments to the Netherlands, Britain and Canada surged 37 percent, 65 percent and 41 percent, respectively, during the period.

The food industry views the country's kimchi exports as growing as demand for healthy food increased in the United States and Europe amid the rising popularity of Korean entertainment content around the world.