Exports of South Korea's traditional rice cake tteok, or products made from the rice-based food are on the surge due to growing overseas demand.

Data from the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation, or aT Center shows exports of tteok products, including topokki hit 15.65 million U.S. dollars in 2017, up 29 percent from the previous year.

When compared to 2013, outbound shipments of tteok products jumped 147 percent, from 4,931 tons to 7,851.

According to the aT Center, the source of global demand was mainly from Korean nationals living abroad, but in recent years western countries got attracted to Korean gluten-free rice-based food, while consumption in Japan, China and Southeast Asia rose on the back of the Korean wave popularity.■