Rue d’Antin, in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. Bouchera taps on his phone while waiting for his meal. Then, under the scent of chilli and grilled meat emanating from the kitchen, a waitress walks towards her. She places on the table a bibimbap still crackling in her little heated stone pot. Rice, sautéed vegetables, beef, all topped off with a fried egg… Bouchera came to get some South Korea at Gatt. “What I like is the blend of flavors. It’s both fresh and slightly spicy,” explains the 27-year-old.
Like her, many are seduced by hansik, Korean cuisine. If in France, the number of restaurants would be generally stable in the provinces – around a hundred – it would have doubled in the capital in the space of a few years. According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation, a South Korean government organization, Paris now has 250, compared to 120 in 2018.
Promotion of films and series
This K-food participates in the hallyu (the popularization of Korean culture) in the same way as cinema, music – the K-pop – or the series – the K-dramas -. And these other stalwarts promote it as well, with Korean cuisine being heavily featured in the entertainment industry. “In all series and films, there are long scenes dedicated to mealtimes. We see the Koreans either drinking [du soju]or eating, and it makes you want to consume like them,” explains Luna Kyung, author of Gourmet Korea (ed. Mango, November 2022).
Example with Parasite, four-time Oscar winner in 2020. In one scene, a mother mixes two types of Nongshim brand instant noodles. In the process, the Korean firm, listed on the Stock Exchange, saw its ramen sales reach record levels across the Atlantic, with an increase of 26.5% Sales in the United States, according to an article in the Korea Herald. And this is no coincidence. “It’s a way for the entertainment industry to bring this culture to the world. It goes through the product placement cultural, widely used in music videos and in K-dramas”, continues Benjamin Joinau, anthropologist and professor at the University of Hongik, South Korea.
Witness the series centered around Korean cuisine. In Business Proposal, which talks about an agri-food company dreaming of globalizing kimchi and Korean dumplings, the protagonists highlight, throughout the series, the products of the Bibigo company. The rom-com, broadcast internationally on netflixenabled the company to increase its profits by more than 3.5% over the year 2022, according to the parent company, CJ CheilJedang.
“Korean Cuisine to the World”
But the promotion of K-food is also a government affair. As early as 2008, the Prime Minister at the time, Han Seung-soo, announced the “beginning of the globalization of Korean cuisine. The following year, Seoul launched the “Korean Cuisine to the World” campaign, with the aim of being in the top 5 cuisines of the world by 2017.
Lobbying has been set up in the field, with courses offered in cooking schools and cultural centers, particularly in Paris. Another initiative: food festivals. Since 2016, the town hall of the 15th arrondissement has, for example, organized the Korea Expo each year, where culinary specialties are given pride of place. “South Korea has developed its gastro-diplomacy to shine internationally. Totally unknown dishes, such as bulgogi, are beginning to gain popularity abroad and are becoming markers of the country’s identity,” confirms Benjamin Joinau.
Chinese and Japanese big sisters
In the end, South Korea did not obtain the expected result; it ranked 19th in the TasteAtlas in 2022. But the progression is there. According to the Korea Food Promotion Institute, the number of Korean restaurants overseas increased from 10,000 to more than 33,000 between 2009 and 2018. With nearly 400 establishments worldwide, the fried chicken brand bonchon testifies to this rise.
Admittedly, K-food is still a long way off to compete with its neighbors chinese And japanese. But it “will become an important kitchen, in the same way as the peruvian cuisinebooming,” concludes Benjamin Joinau.