Paris embraces K-food

The Paris branch of the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) organized a two-day event, attracting both tourists and locals to experience Korean cuisine. The event featured a variety of activities, including food tasting and engaging hands-on experiences such as side dish preparation.

“I purchase ingredients from a Korean mart and prepare dishes such as gimbap and japchae," said Rosa Niosvera, a French housewife. "I particularly enjoy the delightful aroma of sesame seeds and sesame oil.” Korean cuisine is making its way beyond restaurants and into the hearts of European households as more people embrace it and incorporate it into their home cooking.

“With the rise in demand for home-cooked meals during the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing popularity of K-dramas and K-pop, Korean cuisine has gained significant attention. Europeans are now also preparing Korean dishes in their kitchens,” said Park Hyeon-hoo, a team leader at Samjin Globalnet, a Korean food exporter. As a result, while Korea's overall trade deficit is growing, certain agricultural and food products are experiencing notable export growth. According to aT, exports of ramen, alcoholic beverages, and gochujang from January to May this year witnessed remarkable increases of 74%, 61%, and 45%, respectively, compared to the same period last year.

In response to the rising demand for Korean food, European companies have joined in by producing recipe videos showcasing Korean cuisine. “We create Korean food recipe videos ourselves and translate them into 20 different languages before uploading them to YouTube," said Silvan Reijnen, CEO of Beagley Copperman, an Asian food importer based in the Netherlands.

On the final day of the K-Food Fair, Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs Minister Jeong Hwang-geun visited the event. He emphasized the government's commitment to actively supporting the successful entry of K-Food into the European market. He mentioned the plans to facilitate connections between export companies and potential buyers and provide additional support to prominent local distributors, including Carrefour.


Eun-A Cho achim@donga.com