Yahoo: Korean tourism banks on PyeongChang Olympics to boost popularity of K-food
Jan. 26, 2018
Promoters of Korean gastronomy have set out an ambitious goal for themselves: To make K-food as popular and ubiquitous as Japanese sushi around the world, over the next five years.
It's a tall but, perhaps, not impossible order, given the momentum of Hallyu, or Korean culture and the growing acceptance of kimchi in all its pungent, spicy forms at restaurants around the world.
Next month, the country's gastro-diplomacy efforts will get a major boost when the PyeongChang Olympics bring the world to South Korea's doorsteps and shine the spotlight brightly on its rich and varied culture, including its cuisine.
As part of outreach efforts to elevate Korean gastronomy to the same plane as Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese foods, the Korean Food Promotion (KFMI) Institute has launched aggressive campaigns in key markets around the world, in the hopes of getting the local food media's coveted attention.
- Korean celebrity chef in France -
On a brisk fall evening in Paris, where Korean cuisine lags in popularity behind its Asian cousins Japan and Thailand, more than a dozen local food journalists have accepted an invitation by the Korean institute to dine at one of the hottest restaurants in town, Pierre Sang.
