SEOUL – South Korea, struggling with global economic turmoil and a slumping currency, was hit with another scary statistic Monday -- a kimchi deficit.

The shortfall in trade in Korea's iconic national dish topped 77.3 million dollars over the last three years amid rising domestic demand for cheaper Chinese imports, a report to parliament showed Monday.

The Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation said South Korea started posting a trade deficit for the traditional side-dish in 2006, Yonhap news agency reported.

Chinese imports surged 376 percent from 29.4 million dollars in 2004 to 110.8 million last year. South Korean exports were just starting to regain consumer confidence after parasite eggs were discovered in some products in late 2005.

Chinese-made kimchi was also found to contain parasite eggs at the time.

Kimchi, which is eaten with almost every meal, is made from various fermented vegetables including cabbage, radish and cucumbers.

It has its own museum in Seoul and was blasted into space along with the country's first astronaut this year.

Last week the agriculture ministry and the Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation announced a campaign to promote Korea's national cuisine abroad.

They aim to quadruple the number of Korean restaurants worldwide to 40,000 by 2017 under a project to "globalize" the country's food.