Soy sauce marinated crab, known as ganjang gejang, has ranked as the third most purchased food by foreigners visiting Korea, following chicken and Chinese cuisine.
According to BC Card, over the past three years (2022-2024), the most frequently purchased food by foreigners was chicken, followed by Chinese cuisine. Ganjang gejang (soy sauce marinated crab) has surged in popularity, rising from 6th place in 2022 to 3rd place this year. Additionally, gukbap (rice soup) and soondubu (soft tofu stew), which were not ranked in 2022, have climbed to 7th and 8th place, respectively, this year.
BC Card stated that due to the Korean Wave (Hallyu) driven by dramas and movies, various foods have gained worldwide attention, leading to diverse changes in the ranking of Korean dishes favored by foreigners over the past three years. This analysis is based on the “33 Selected National Representative Food Tourism Contents” recently announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization.
Additionally, the growing interest in traditional Korean foods has led to a phenomenon where foreigners visit the regions famous for these foods to consume them directly. Over the past three years, the amount and number of transactions made by foreigners in the restaurant industry within 15 regions using domestic transportation (such as express buses, trains, and rental cars) were about 50% higher than those who did not use transportation.
Even among Koreans, the number of transactions made by non-locals at local restaurants was found to be up to seven times higher than those made by locals. In Gangneung, restaurants selling mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) and dakgangjeong (sweet crispy fried chicken) saw non-local transactions that were three times and 7.2 times higher, respectively, than those of locals. For soondubu (soft tofu stew), a representative food of Gangneung, non-local transactions were 4.8 times higher.
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