33 Foreign Influencers Explore Gangwon’s Local Flavors in K-Local Food Tour
Creatrip Team
21 days ago
South Korea’s Korea Tourism Organization invited 33 overseas influencers to a ‘K-Local Food Hunters 33’ tour (June 29–July 2) to showcase regional Korean cuisine beyond Seoul’s popular K-food. The program highlights ‘K-Local 33’—a curated list of local dishes, seasonal ingredients, and traditional liquor—aimed at promoting food-driven travel to provinces. Participants began in Seoul with a Korean cooking class and then split into regions; this report focuses on the Gangwon itinerary. In Gangneung they sampled chodang sundubu (soft tofu from Chodang village) and mulhoe (cold raw fish soup), visited Anmok Coffee Street (a seaside coffee district), the ARTE Museum, and Jungang Market, experiencing how coastal ingredients and scenery shape local dishes. Influencer reactions noted that tasting food in its native setting deepened appreciation: a Taiwanese creator was impressed by mulhoe’s chilled seafood broth, and a Japanese influencer praised sundubu kalguksu (soft tofu noodle soup) and the value of connecting food with place. In Chuncheon the group tried dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken) cooked over charcoal and hanwoo dongpan bulgogi (beef grilled on a domed pan with broth at the edges), highlighting inland, meat-centered flavors. Organizers say such on-site content can turn regions like Gangwon into food-first destinations for international visitors and help translate K-food interest into actual travel.
