Nearly 2 tons of strawberries disappear in Gimhae amid price hike

A shopper picks up a pack of strawberries at a mart in Seoul, Dec. 3, 2023. Yonhap

Nearly two tons of strawberries went missing just before their shipment in the southern city of Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, amid the recent price hike of one of Korea's most popular wintertime seasonal fruits.

According to the Gimhae government and local farmers, Monday, 1,900 kilograms of strawberries harvested from eight farms in the region disappeared earlier this month.

The missing strawberries, which have a market value of 25 million won ($19,032), were stacked after harvest before being transported to be sold at auction.

The farmers became aware of and reported the missing strawberries to police and the city government on Jan. 2.

The whereabouts of the strawberries is still unknown.

The incident resulted in substantial losses for the farmers, due to the high costs associated with growing strawberries in greenhouses during winter, which requires heating fuel, electricity and human labor.

The price of winter strawberries climbed to over 20,000 won per kilogram recently.

The case of the disappearing fruit is now under police investigation. Police say they are looking for surveillance camera footage from neighboring farms, as the strawberry greenhouses had no CCTVs installed.

Meanwhile, police and the city government reinforced night patrols and campaigns against burglary in the area.