Britain's appetite for Korean food runs far deeper than the European hallyu mainstream.
While France has shown a particular fondness for Korean fermented foods such as jang-based condiments, Britain's embrace goes further — the country that once had London girls singing 2NE1's "I Am the Best" in the streets has come to embrace the vast majority of Korean food culture with wholehearted enthusiasm.
The number of Korean restaurants in Britain opened by British entrepreneurs is rising sharply, and it is telling that Koreans make up almost none of the clientele at Korean eateries in London — about 95 percent of diners are British. In many other countries, Korean restaurants tend to cater primarily to Korean tourists.
For a time, a promotional video for hansik ran on screens at Westfield, London's largest shopping mall.
Against that backdrop, Inje-gun in Gangwon Province has secured an opening to bring its agricultural products into the British market.
Inje-gun announced Sunday that it joined a UK market-development mission organized by Nonghyup Economic Holdings and signed a memorandum of understanding on expanding agricultural food exports at the Korea Food headquarters in New Malden, London, on Thursday. Nonghyup Economic Holdings, Korea Food and Jinju were also parties to the MOU.
The agreement aims to raise awareness of Inje-gun's agricultural products among local consumers, build brand recognition and lay the groundwork for expanded exports. Under the MOU, the participating organizations agreed to cooperate on additional exports of Inje-gun products, local promotional activities and the development of a broader export lineup.
Building on the agreement, Inje-gun plans to continue pushing exports of its agricultural products into the British market and staging local promotional events through 2027. The county will also work with export specialists including NH Nonghyup Trade to identify products suited to local demand and develop new export proposals.
A consumer promotion ran alongside the signing. From Tuesday through Sunday, a debut promotional event for Korean Nonghyup tofu and rice was held at the Korea Food flagship store in Britain and at the Seoul Plaza Soho branch in London. Tofu from Girin Wondang Tofu Agricultural Cooperative Corporation in Inje-gun, along with Jinju rice and other Korean agricultural products, was introduced to local consumers.
Tasting stations and promotional staff were set up at the venues so shoppers could sample and buy the products on the spot. Featured items included pan-fry and stew tofu and soft tofu from Girin Wondang Tofu Agricultural Cooperative Corporation, as well as Jinju rice. During the promotional period, 3,840 boxes of tofu and 8 metric tons of rice — worth about 80 million won ($53,200) in total — were supplied to the local market.
Inje-gun said Britain is one of Europe's major agricultural food import markets and that interest in Korean food has been growing alongside the spread of K-content. "Demand for plant-based alternative foods, fermented foods and health foods is expanding locally, and the prospects for Inje-gun's agricultural products entering this market are considered strong," the county said.
Shin Seon-mi, head of Inje-gun's economy and industry division, said the county would closely monitor local responses and market trends coming out of the MOU and the promotional event, expand the range of exportable products and work with partner organizations including Nonghyup Economic Holdings and Korea Food to build a sustainable overseas sales channel.
abc@heraldcorp.com
