Jeonju to support multilingual menus for foreign tourists as city draws 10 million visitors a year

Jeonju Hanok Village / Photo by Choi Hyeung-soo

Jeonju City has partnered with the local restaurant industry to promote regional food culture as a part of an effort to transform the city into a global tourism hub.

The city said on Thursday it held a “multilingual menu support relay campaign” and a resolution event on hygiene and friendly service at the annual general meeting of the Wansan-gu branch of the Korean Federation of Restaurants at the Jeonbuk Regional Office of SMEs and Startups.

During the meeting, restaurant owners announced a joint pledge to create clean and safe kitchen environments, provide friendly service and ensure reasonable prices in a bid to build a trustworthy dining environment for tourists.

Centered around its Hanok Village, Jeonju attracts around 10 million visitors a year, with the number of foreign tourists also showing a gradual increase.

In response to the growth, the city plans to launch a relay campaign to support multilingual menus and reduce language barriers for overseas visitors. The initiative will help restaurants create menus in English, Chinese — both simplified and traditional — and Japanese, with the program expected to expand across the local food service industry.

“We appreciate the participation of local business owners in helping build a stronger community,” said Kim Hyun-ok, director general for welfare and environment at Jeonju City.

“The city will continue to support efforts to create a welcoming and safe dining culture that both domestic and foreign tourists will want to return to,” Kim said.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.