Foreign-owned eateries soar

The number of restaurants in Seoul operated by foreigners jumped by 11 fold in a decade, the city government said Friday.

As of August, there are 1,956 diners run by foreign restaurateurs, of which 272 are located in Gangnam-gu, the affluent district in southern Seoul. Yeongdeungpo, Jung, Mapo, Yongsan and Jongno districts followed with 184, 156, 145, 128 and 124, respectively.

The city administration is planning to release Korea’s food and hygiene guidelines in English and other languages to help their business. Menu boards and maps to these restaurants will be distributed to foreign visitors for the G20 Summit slated for Nov. 11 and 12.

Seoul City has already provided English, Chinese and Japanese menu boards for 150 Korean traditional restaurants eager to invite foreign guests and Chinese cookbooks for Chinese tourists.