K-Food Push: Korea to Train Foreign Chefs, Target Middle East for Rapid Export Growth
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
South Korea plans an accelerated K-Food (agricultural and seafood products) export drive aiming for $21 billion by 2030. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced a ‘Global K-Food Export Expansion Strategy’ that includes training overseas chefs through new programs like the ‘Sura School’ (한식 교육 프로그램), offering Korean cuisine curricula at top foreign culinary schools, and forming a K-Food export task force with 35 private-sector members. The strategy focuses on five pillars: product development, a one-stop export support hub to resolve export barriers, K-initiative integration (linking food with tourism and content), digital and tech innovation, and expanding into promising markets such as the Middle East using halal certification. Korea will scale export vouchers and insurance support, develop market-specific products (e.g., BBQ sauces and traditional liquors for U.S./Japan/China, halal beef and fresh fruit for the Middle East, high-value health foods for the EU), and use ODA-linked nutrition and convenience food programs to build long-term consumers. The plan also ties K-Food to inbound tourism through regional “food belts” (e.g., a chicken belt) and media marketing with K-stars and influencers to convert visitors into overseas consumers.
