K-Food Export Growth to Europe Now Double the Pace of US and China

This year, K-food exports to Europe grew at more than double the rate seen in the US and Chinese markets. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, K-food exports to the European Union reached approximately $730 million in the first nine months of the year, up 23.5% from a year earlier. From food to fashion, Korean consumer goods companies are moving swiftly to reach European consumers.

At a Korean street food pop-up store near the Seine River in Paris, local consumers lined up to try Korean ramyeon. A local customer named Emma described it as "ramyeon menus with a French twist" and "a truly special experience."

Eleven Korean food companies, including Samyang Food, Nongshim, Samlip, Lotte Wellfood, and Sempio, took part in SIAL Paris, the international food fair held in Paris this year. Kim Hyung-seok, head of Nongshim's European subsidiary, said, "As the popularity of Korean food continues to rise in Europe, we are using our booth to spread the excellence and value of K-food and K-ramyeon to Europeans." Executives from major food companies, including Samyang Food Chairman Kim Jeong-su, known as the "father of Buldak," also visited the fair in person to assess the European market.

The shift of attention toward Europe is not limited to food. Fashion platform W Concept is operating a pop-up store in Paris, following its New York debut, to attract new customers. The move offers local consumers a chance to experience Korean fashion firsthand, beyond the online platform.