By Kang Hyun-kyung
Government officials, food experts, chefs and people from all walks of life were at Cheong Wa Dae Thursday for a luncheon hosted by President Lee Myung-bak and his wife Kim Yoon-ok.
The guests included Suh Kyu-yong, minister of food, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, members of the Korean Food Foundation, scholars and child reporters.
The guest list revealed that some people were not invited, even though they have played a key role in making Korean cuisine popular in many countries.
The unsung heroes are K-pop stars, actors and actresses. The popularity of K-pop, especially Psys Gangnam Style, knows no borders. The K-pop boom around the world has motivated people to learn about Korean language and culture and try Korean food as well.
During the luncheon at Cheong Wa Dae, Seo said five Korean eateries were introduced on the Michelin Guide and two of them received star ratings. The minister said the rate of New Yorkers favoring Korean food soared from 9 percent in 2009 to 41 percent in 2011. But he didnt elaborate on the details of the survey, such as who conducted it and what questions were asked.
He said the guest list was the result of a survey of those involved in Korean restaurants overseas, young chefs and culinary experts, students and the academic society. The ministers remarks reminds us that success has many fathers and that some who played a key role in motivating people outside the country to try Korean cuisine were missed out. Those in the entertainment industry deserve credit as being unsung heroes in the popularity of Korean food abroad, he said.
The luncheon appeared untimely. Since last month, the agriculture ministry has launched an investigation into allegations that the Korean Food Foundation, the key vehicle through which the government has pushed the project to make Korean food go global, misappropriated funds.
The foundation allegedly misused 5 billion won set aside for a project to build a highend restaurant in New York to promote Korean cuisine. It was scrapped after the move failed to attract investors. The foundation used the money for other projects rather than return it to the government.
The agriculture ministry is investigating the matter, according to insiders.
From the get-go, the government- led Korean food project was embroiled in controversy as some expressed concern that the governments heavy-handed approach could backfire.
In a private conversation with this reporter last year, an American political scientist questioned the motive of the government to start such a project. He said Korean food is already popular in the United States, expressing worries that government intervention could backfire.
German journalist Rebecca Roth said a new pattern in Korean restaurants in Germany has emerged recently as Korean food is increasingly popular there.
She said the owners of the restaurants were mostly Korean immigrants.