South Korea has begun exporting sweet persimmons to China for the first time in 17 years, after quarantine negotiations that began in 2008 finally bore fruit.

President Lee Jae-myung announced the breakthrough on 7 November, sharing a post by Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Song Mi-ryung confirming that the quarantine talks had been concluded. "After 17 years of quarantine negotiations, our sweet persimmons are finally taking their first step into the Chinese market," Lee said.

The first shipment, of about 19.6 tonnes — 1,960 boxes, filling one 40-foot container — was celebrated at a ceremony on 6 November at the Dong-eup Agricultural Cooperative in Changwon, in South Gyeongsang Province. The fruit was sorted and packed to strict quarantine standards by the Dong-eup cooperative and the Gyeongnam Persimmon Horticultural Cooperative. It is due to leave Busan Port and arrive in Shanghai on 10 November, where it will go on sale at retail outlets.

The deal follows a memorandum of understanding on persimmon exports signed at the South Korea-China summit held last November on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in Gyeongju. Under the export requirements, orchards and packing facilities must be registered, pest monitoring must be carried out, and quarantine information must be included on the phytosanitary certificates.

Korean officials are pitching the fruit on its crisp texture and high sweetness: unlike Chinese persimmons, which need ripening, the Korean sweet persimmon can be eaten straight away. The agriculture ministry plans to showcase the premium fruit at the APEC summit in Shenzhen on 18–19 November.

Jung Kyung-seok, director of food industry policy at the agriculture ministry, said the export was the fruit of 17 years of quarantine negotiations and diplomatic effort, along with the preparations made by persimmon farmers and exporters in Gyeongnam.

[Source: en.sedaily.com](https://en.sedaily.com/politics/2026/11/07/korea-begins-sweet-persimmon-exports-to-china-after-17-years) | [Source: ajupress.com](https://www.ajupress.com/view/20261106174870394)