HANSIK Conference 2024 Discusses Future of Hansik in Global Market

Sejong, 24 October 2024 — The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and the Korea Food Promotion Institute (KFPI) will hold the HANSIK Conference 2024 in Samcheonggak, a traditional arts and cultural complex in Seoul, with the theme of ‘Adventurous Table: HANSIK’ on 25 October 2024.

The HANSIK Conference 2024, the first event of which was held in 2023, will be attended by experts from the food and beverage industry, renowned chefs, and journalists from the news media. The conference consists of workshops for experiencing the diverse tastes and charms of hansik (Korean food) and the main event (i.e. presentation and discussion sessions) for exploring the history and future of hansik. 

With the Korean government waiting for UNESCO to announce its decision to register Jang Damgeugi (Korean sauce and paste making) to an Intangible Cultural Heritage, the first session of the main event is focused on a sub-theme of ‘Korean jang (fermented soybean foods) culture.’ At this session, Michelin two-starred chef Min-Goo Kang will share his own way of re-interpreting Korean traditional jang culture from the perspective of modern culture.

The second session is focused on a sub-theme of ‘nurturing talent for the future.’ At this session, professor Jong-Jip Yang of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) will give a presentation about how to nurture culinary talent for the future and the strategies to make hansik go global.

The second session is also focused on a sub-theme of ‘hansik for global business.’ At this session, there will be in-depth discussions on the strategies to turn hansik into a global business and the vision of hansik, with the following panelists in attendance: Atomix co-founders Jung-Hyun Park (Michellin two-starred chef) and Ellia Park; Michelin two-starred chef Jorge Vallejo who runs restaurant Quintonil in Mexico; Michelin three-starred chef Jimmy Lim who runs restaurant JL Studio in Taiwan; and Michelin two-starred chef Sang-Hoon Degeimbre who runs restaurant L’air du temps in the Kingdom of Belgium. 

Deputy Minister KIM Jong-gu of the MAFRA’s Agricultural Innovation Policy Office said: “Hansik has established itself as a culture representing South Korea, with the help of public-private efforts as well as on the wave of Hallyu (the Korean wave). I hope that the HANSIK Conference will serve as an opportunity to make Korean jang culture reach a wider range of areas around the world. I also hope that this event will serve as an opportunity to share insights on the ways to strengthen the competitiveness of hansik and thus take hansik to the next level of emerging as a tend-setter in the global gastronomic scene.”