Korea marks first Hansik Day, unveils vision for Korean cuisine
A promotional poster for the HANSIK FESTA / Courtesy of Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
Korea held its first official ceremony for Hansik Day, a newly designated national commemorative day for Korean cuisine, in Seoul on Friday. At the event, officials outlined plans to turn the country’s food into a global cultural and industrial asset.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs co-hosted the ceremony at the National Museum of Korea, a day before Hansik Day on Saturday. “Hansik” is the Korean word for Korean food. Marked on Oct. 24, the date combines the number 10, which the government says stands for completion and harmony, with the 24 solar terms. These are the traditional seasonal markers that have long guided farming in Korea.
About 300 people attended the ceremony. They included diplomats from 15 countries, food industry officials, academics and certified food masters, who are artisans the government recognizes for preserving traditional food-making techniques.
Vice Agriculture Minister Kim Jong-gu presented four policy directions. The first is preserving fermented foods such as kimchi and jang, Korea’s soybean-based sauces and pastes, and promoting their scientific value. The second is using artificial intelligence and food technology to innovate Korean cuisine. The third is promoting culinary tourism that links regional food culture with travel. The fourth is strengthening Korean restaurants overseas and training professionals for them.
“We will spare no policy support so that Korean food is loved more in daily lives around the world and its growth leads to a real leap for agriculture and the food and restaurant industries,” Kim said.
Lim Sang-woo, the foreign ministry’s ambassador for public diplomacy, called Korean food a diplomatic asset. He said the ministry is expanding K-food diplomacy through more than 170 overseas missions.
Six honorees received ministerial citations. Among them were Buddhist temple food master the Venerable Seonjae, chef Lee Jun of the Michelin-starred Seoul restaurant Soigné, Huh Young-man, the cartoonist behind the food comic “Sikgaek,” and the sauce maker Sempio Foods.
HANSIK FESTA, a three-day festival, opened alongside the ceremony and runs through Sunday around the museum’s Mirror Pond. It features cooking demonstrations by chefs and food masters, cooking classes, pop-up stores and a flea market.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.