Black, crispy, often flat and square - dried seaweed, known locally as gim - is a humble staple on everyday dining tables across South Korea. But as its global popularity grows, its rising prices are worrying gim-lovers nationwide. Lee Hyang-ran has been selling gim for the past 47 years. "In the past, people from Western countries thought Koreans were eating something weird that looks like a piece of black paper," the vendor, who is in her 60s, says from a small market stall in central Seoul. "