Photo is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]
Photo is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]

McDonald's Korea will introduce new menu items made with local agricultural specialties — including sweet corn from Chungju in North Chungcheong Province and rice from Hongcheon-gun in Gangwon Province — at stores nationwide. The government plans to expand a public-private partnership model aimed at broadening sales channels for regional farms and revitalizing local economies.

The Ministry of Interior and Safety signed a cooperative MOU with Chungju, Hongcheon-gun, Jinju, Changnyeong-gun and McDonald's Korea at Government Complex Seoul on Monday.

Under the agreement, McDonald's Korea will sell a burger made with Chungju sweet corn at stores across the country. The ministry had proposed Chungju as a suitable region for developing a corn-based product, and McDonald's selected it as the final partner city and developed the item.

Hongcheon-gun will contribute local rice to a new side menu item. That item has been available through the children's Happy Meal since Thursday.

Changnyeong-gun is targeting overseas markets with a garlic-based sauce. The Changnyeong garlic sauce, produced by McDonald's supplier Ottogi, is set to be exported by the end of this month. Jinju, which previously launched a chili pepper-based menu item, agreed to continue future collaborations using its own regional specialties.

The MOU was designed to expand market access for regional farms and boost local economies through products developed from local specialties. The ministry has been building out this corporate-local government partnership model since 2024, when it launched its first collaboration between Lotte Wellfood and Buyeo-gun in South Chungcheong Province.

The ministry said it plans to continue working with McDonald's Korea on the hometown love fund donation program, regional festival promotions and other initiatives to further energize local communities.

"I hope this collaboration takes root as a mutually beneficial model that draws on the distinct character of each region and provides genuine vitality to local economies," Interior and Safety Minister Yun Ho-jung said. "We will actively support efforts to counter rural depopulation and revitalize regional economies by expanding cooperation between private companies and local governments."


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