Pakistani Korean pioneers halal food business

Ha San, a Pakistani Korean and CEO of halal food supplier Aone International in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of Ha San

By Yi Whan-woo

It all started with difficulties buying halal meat for Ha San, a Pakistani Korean who started a business and pioneered a sales network of halal food for over 13,000 Pakistanis living in Korea.

Halal food was not available in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, when he opened a restaurant there in 1997, three years after he permanently settled in Korea. He had to shop at a Muslim grocery store in Seoul to purchase beef, lamb and poultry that were produced and manufactured in accordance with Islamic law.

Ha, the CEO of halal food supplier Aone International, now imports various products, mainly beef and lamb from Australia, spices from Pakistan, cooking oil from the United Arab Emirates, and butter and dates from Saudi Arabia. He also processes poultry at his own plant in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, where Aone International was set up in 2004.

He has since closed his restaurant to better concentrate on supplying halal food nationwide.

His company has more than 100 wholesalers as customers across Korea. They are in Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Ulsan, Changwon and Gimhae as well as Wando, a small island in South Jeolla Province where Pakistani Muslims work in fisheries.

“It was very difficult to find halal meat and halal chicken when I opened my restaurant. That’s how I started to get interested in the distribution business of halal food,” he told The Korea Times at Petra Restaurant in Itaewon, Seoul, Tuesday.

The fine dining Arabian restaurant buys food from one of Aone International’s customers, according to Ha.

“I hope my company contributes to helping Koreans become familiar with halal food and other parts of Islamic culture,” he said, referring to the increasing number of Muslims in Korea and the growing demand for halal food.

Aone International, according to Ha, is the only Pakistani firm to win approval from the Korea Muslim Federation, the Islamic governing body here, to manufacture and distribute food in Korea.

The Pakistani Embassy Korea Counselor Muhammad Shafiq Haider, who attended the interview, called Ha “a halal food tycoon,” saying “He strongly connects Pakistan and Korea.”

Halal, meaning “permissible” in Arabic, refers to Islamic dietary rules as defined by the Koran.

While Muslims are allowed to eat cows, sheep and chicken, the slaughtering of those animals as well as the processing, packaging and distribution of the meats have to follow strict Islamic rules. The food otherwise would be considered haram, meaning “forbidden” in Arabic, and cannot be eaten.

The rules are applied to other processed foods and everyday items, varying from hygienic products to cosmetics. Products contacting pork-derived substance such as pork fat can’t be consumed because pigs are considered unholy.

According to the Korea Muslim Federation, there are over 130,000 Muslims in Korea, including 35,000 Koreans.

Ha is married to a Korean. He can speak both English and Korean.

Aone International's chicken sales license

Aone International's lamb sales license

Aone International's beef sales license