KFS 2013 Features Past, Present, Future of Korean Food

Dignitaries cut the tape in a joint ceremony to open the Korea Food Show 2013 and the Seoul Food Show

2013 at KINTEX north of Seoul on May 14. The participants include Lee Dong-phil, minister of agriculture,

food and rural affairs,; Deputy Minister Kwon Pyung-oh of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy,;

President Oh Young-ho of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA),;

and President Kim Jae-soo of aT.

The Korea Food Show 2013 showcased the latest trends of the Korean food industry, closely related to the lives of Koreans, and the future potential for the industry’s moves into global markets.

The Korea Food Show (KFS) 2013, the fifth of its kind, took place at KINTEX in Goyang, north of Seoul, for a four-day run from May 14-17. The fair attracted some 1,600 companies and 1,980 food professionals from more than 50 nations.

True to the theme “K-Food, Communication with the World,” KFS 2013 served as opportunities for spectators °™ Korean and foreign alike °™ to take a look at the past, present, and future of Korean food, better known as K-food.

“The Korea Food Show is truly international, and we hope this event will establish the globalization of Korean food,” said President Kim Jae-soo of aT in his speech at a joint opening ceremony for the KFS 2013 and Seoul Food Show 2013.

Kim stressed that the Korean food industry would maintain growth in terms of quality with a focus on the improvement of its safety, finding the indigenous culinary culture of Korea and achieving shared growth between large- and small-sized companies and between the agricultural and food industries.

“It will be a great opportunity to demonstrate how the food industry is a creative economic growth engine,” Minister Lee Dong-phil of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said in his speech at the opening ceremony. “Our ancestors placed great emphasis on eating together We Koreans like to share deep feelings through food,” he continued. “I hope with this event, K-food can grow into a medium to communicate with the world beyond just something to eat.”

Youm Dae-kiu, director general in charge of food industry at Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Cooperation (aT), said, “KFS 2013 aims to shed new light on the past’s traditional wisdom (related to food), the creativity of today, and the future of the food industry.” Youm said it would be an event for visitors to get a glimpse into the food convergence industry, an industry that has been shaped by the latest trends covering every part of our daily lives such as culture and IT at a glance.

Among the eye catchers of the fair were the first unveiling of the “Suunjapbang,” the nation’s oldest recipe, authored by scholar Kim You in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, about 500 years go during the Joseon Dynasty, as well as the Sorori rice seed discovered at Sorori, Chungcheongbuk-do, dating back to 15,000 years ago in the Old Stone Age, proved to be the oldest one existing in the world by global archeologists in 2003.

Youm said the Suunjapbang contains 200 recipes, including how to make kimchi prior to the use of powered red pepper for kimchi-making, as well as wine-making. He noted that recipes for Korean food has traditionally been handed down orally and the Suunjapbang is the oldest ancient recipe collection discovered in Korea.

The exhibition was divided into four zones in accordance with themes °™ nature, tradition, culture, and vision °™ that are affiliated with Korean food.

The “natural food” zone introduced how Korean food offers the four basic tastes °™sweet, salty, bitter, and sour.

The visitors were given an opportunity to learn about the essential nutrients in Korean dishes depending on the method and season in which they were usually made.

The “traditional food” zone demonstrated the development of Korean food and how the cooking style has evolved through history. The zone provided general Korean dishes that are served at hotels overseas.

The “vision of food” zone suggested how the agriculture and livestock industries can contribute to the development of manufacturing businesses and service sectors, including tourism.

Youm Dae-kiu, director general in

charge of food industry at aT.

Youm said the Future Food Pavilion showed the Food Valley of the Netherlands, a global trendsetter in the food industry, and future values of the food industry. Spectators were given an opportunity to take a look at the Gold Seed Project, a government initiative to promote the development of the Korean seed industry.

In particular, in keeping with the government’s push for promoting shared growth between large- and small-sized firms, KFS 2013 set up the “Shared Growth Pavilion” to explore how to promote shared growth in the food industry, Youm said.

KFS 2013 also held the Korean wine festival, the Asia Food Forum, the Food Industry Job Fair, and other side events.

Visitors had a chance to experience Korean food and understand the Korean food industry during the show. On the first day, Korean chef Lee Hye-jeong demonstrated how to make Korean dishes; followed by a panel discussion between students and industry experts on the vision of the Korean food industry and provision of healthy Korean menus.

The exhibition also coincided with “Buy Korean Food,” a business-to-consumer session between foreign buyers and Korean food companies. About 200 foreign buyers held one-on-one meetings with Korean food suppliers. Among the invited foreign buyers were Park Byung-keu, general manager of Park Lee International Industry Co., and Won Seak-hee, manager in charge of marketing at Meisei Corp., a Kawaguchi-based food importer in Japan. Park said, “In general, Korean food items such as ramyeon (instant noodle), citron tea, samgyetang (ginseng and chicken soup) and ginseng products have enjoyed popularity. He said he was unhappy with a rise in the anti-Korean movement in Taiwan, the birthplace of hallyu, well known as the Korean Wave.