In the first part of an exclusive interview with the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), Vice Minister Kwon Jae-han reveals that MAFRA is developing an “adventurous table” Korean food export strategy to increase visibility. I made it. Korean cuisine is popular all over the world.
Instant foods and fermented foods are expected to be the main categories leading this sector, and Kwon also outlined some of the Food Department's specific development plans as part of this strategy.
“The first thing we noticed is that consumer awareness levels and preferences for Korean food vary greatly from city to city, based on the perception and acceptance of this cuisine in different markets.”he said FoodNavigator-Asia.
“Therefore, we plan to differentiate our promotional strategies in each market according to the existing expansion level of Korean food products in each city and region, and apply the differentiated strategy to each city and region.”
“Therefore, in cities where consumers' awareness of Korean food is low, we are trying to promote Korean cuisine by collaborating with local influencers and connecting Korean food with Korean cultural content (also known as K-content) from an entertainment perspective. We aim to create an opportunity to spark interest in..
“In cities where consumer awareness is high, we are focusing on letting local consumers directly experience Korean cuisine through K-Food pop-up stores, such as introducing Korean recipes using local ingredients. I'll go.
“A key consideration for MAFRA is to enable as many consumers as possible to experience Korean food as naturally as possible, as we aim to improve the favorability of Korean food overseas to 80% by 2027. Because I also have a goal. This is the only way I can achieve it. “
Regarding specific markets, Kwon said that many cities in Northeast Asia, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Tokyo, have already shown an advantage in Korean cuisine, as there are many Korean restaurants available in these cities as well. He emphasized that it is clear. As general consumer feedback.
“However, the popularity of Korean food has also skyrocketed in the past five years in Southeast Asian countries such as Bangkok, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.” [and we want to capitalise on this],”he added.
“Furthermore, Korean cuisine has also seen significant growth in markets such as Paris, France, where the number of Korean restaurants has more than doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels. We also know that 11 of the 72 restaurants serve Korean cuisine.
“So we believe it is important to capitalize on this popularity and have been considering foodservice strategies such as designating some of the world's top Korean restaurants as 'Outstanding Korean Restaurants Overseas.' . [and there are also plans to] It will be linked to large-scale events such as the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“For markets that are very new to us, such as the Middle East, Latin America, and India, we will focus on things like holding K-Food Fairs as a promotional tool.”
Second-line cities, the importance of top-line
In addition to these geographically targeted strategies, MAFRA believes that secondary markets hold the key to the next phase of global Korean food growth.
“Second-line markets refer to regional cities around major cities, such as Texas in the United States, Qingdao in China, and Kyoto in Japan.”he said.
“We also plan to provide strong support for Korean food companies to supply products to local businesses, distributors and supermarkets in these secondary markets and to hold Korean food fairs in these local cities. is.
“We also believe there is a strong need to leverage both online and offline distribution channels operating in these overseas markets to increase sales of K-Food. For example, Costco, H-Mart, The aim is to provide consumers with more opportunities to experience and taste Korean cuisine.
“This is a very important strategy; it will give consumers direct access to both traditional signature Korean foods such as kimchi, as well as new processed foods such as local-style sweets and beverages.”