Korean fried chicken voted world's favorite Korean food

Korean fried chicken voted world's favorite Korean food

Korean-style fried chicken is the most popular Korean dish among consumers abroad this year.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korean Food Promotion Institute announced the finding on Nov. 23, releasing results from a Korean food study of 11,000 consumers in 22 major cities worldwide conducted from July 3 to Aug. 25.

Respondents showed strong preferences for bibimbap (rice mixed with meat, vegetables and gochujang red pepper paste), kimchi and Korean-style fried chicken, reflecting the growing global popularity of Hansik, or traditional Korean cuisine.

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Fried chicken ranked No. 1 among Korean dishes with 14%, followed by kimchi at 9.5%, bibimbap at 8.2%, bulgogi (marinated stir-fried meat) at 5.6%, ramyeon (instant noodles) at 5.1%, samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly) at 4.5% and kimchi fried rice at 4.4%.

Global awareness of Korean food reached 68.6%, up 2.9 percentage points year on year and the highest in the survey's history. Among those who had tried Korean cuisine, 94.2% said they were satisfied, and 80.6% said they would try it again — the first time that figure surpassed 80%.

In addition, 65.1% said they grew interested in or sought out Hansik after seeing Hallyu (Korean Wave) content.

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The study found that 71.7% had visited a Korean restaurant in their area over the past year, with 93.1% satisfied with the food and 90.7% willing to return.

By city, Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Manila (the Philippines) and Shanghai were among 10 metropolises reporting above-average satisfaction with Korean restaurants and higher-than-average willingness to revisit. In contrast, Tokyo, Rome and Paris showed relatively lower levels.

The ministry said, "We will strengthen our strategies to promote Korean cuisine tailored to regional consumption traits to further raise Hansik's standing in the global market."