2005-2162

News in Focus
ment officials, chief executive officers
and restaurateurs. Some notable names:
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Yu In-chon; Minister for Food, Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries Chang Taepyong,
and, of course, actor Bae Yongjoon.
As part of the effort, MIFAFF
intends to promote the restaurant industry,
while the Culture Ministry plans to
develop travel packages centered on
Korean cuisine.
Among the strategies being pursued
by the group are upgrading related laws,
establishing Korean food brands, training
and licensing chefs on Korean food
at foreign culinary schools, supporting
research and development, encouraging
private sector investment in franchises
overseas, increasing the number of
Korean restaurants at five-star hotels in
Korea and promoting Korean food
through the domestic and international
media and various events. The ministry
said it intends to concentrate on promoting
bibimbap, kimchi, traditional
wines and the spicy rice cakes known as
tteokbokki, among others.
As part of its plan, MIFAFF said it
would educate chefs at Korean restaurants,
especially outside the country,
since it found foreigners have a relatively
negative perception of Korean food.
Even the same dishes taste radically different
at different restaurants, the ministry
said, and waiters and waitresses
often do not explain how to eat Korean
food or what ingredients are used, which
makes it difficult for foreign diners to
take the plunge.
“Korean restaurants abroad are the
frontier where foreigners come into
contact with Korean food,” said Kang
Hye-young, a deputy director at
MIFAFF. “Improving service at these
restaurants would be the first step to
upgrade the image of Korean food.”
The ministry said it is not easy to
find chefs specializing in Korean food
outside Korea, and there are even cases
in which non-Koreans who have no formal
training in making Korean food are
working at Korean restaurants around
the world.
To solve the problem, the ministry is
offering training in making Korean food
in partnership with Yonsei University,
A survey
showed that
the world’s
favorite dishes
from Korea
included
bibimbap,
kimchi and
bulgogi beef.
the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Hotel,
Woosong University and the Korean
Food Institute at Sookmyung Women’s
University. The four-month course is
open to both Koreans and non-Koreans
and will teach not only cooking techniques
but also Korean food culture,
foreign languages and business skills.
A survey of 100 professionals including
restaurant industry officials, chefs at
major hotels, Korean food researchers
and food journalists in Korea indicated
that kimchi, bulgogi marinated beef,
bibimbap, japchae and tteokbokki were
most well-known Korean dishes in the
world. The survey was taken by the
Korean Culture and Information Service
in September. What differentiated
Korean foods from other cuisines was
its health value, containing lots of vegetables,
respondents said. They added
that Korean food represents the nation’s
culture and its people’s affectionate
nature. However, they also said a lack of
standardized techniques and the difficulty
in cooking Korean food prevent it
from taking hold overseas.
The Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade
Corporation set out in October and
November to discover foreigners’ favorite
Korean dishes. The study assembled
focus groups in four countries: the United
States, Vietnam, China and Japan.
“The study was meant to figure out
not only what kind of Korean food is
popular among foreigners but also how
to get, or how to replace, original ingredients,
how to keep the price level rea-
Wives of the generals of the Republic of Korea and U.S. Combined Forces
Command (CFC) learning how to make Korean food at Sookmyung Women’s
University’s Korean Food Institute.
[JoongAng Ilbo]
December 2009 korea 19