By Kim Young Deok and Kim Young Shin

The watermelon, one of the representative summer fruits, now comes in different colors and sizes.

A regular watermelon has green skin, black stripes and juicy red flesh. However, according to the Korea Seed & Variety Service, there are actually 716 kinds of watermelon available in the Korean market, coming in different sizes, colors and levels of sweetness.

The transformation of the watermelon started with the development of the convenient seedless watermelon and has generated new consumption patterns.



The "black mango watermelon,” with yellow flesh and a high sugar content, was popular last year. It's also half the size of a regular watermelon and weighs only around 2 to 4 kilograms.

“Some 190,000 black mango watermelons have been shipped starting last May. There are more one- or two-person households these days, so mini watermelons meet their needs," said CEO Lim Jang seob of Buan Marketing, an agricultural association.

Non-Korean consumers are also catching up with the trend.

The "apple watermelon," which is about the size of an apple and which has an edible skin, was exported to Singapore and Hong Kong starting on June 2 this year.

“About 1,000 apple watermelons were shipped to Singapore and Hong Kong, and sold out in a week. We're planning to export more,” said CEO Kim Yo Han of Unique Partner, an agricultural corporation.

Various types of watermelons, evolving with changes in lifestyle, are expected to attract consumers again this summer.

kyd1991@korea.kr