Industry News

KUALA LUMPUR: South Korea is looking to collaborate with Malaysian institutions to venture into producing more halal food in a bid to expand its market in Muslim countries.

South Korean Ambassador to Malaysia, Cho Byung-jae, said: "As a global hub for the halal food industry, Malaysia is an ideal target for South Korea to expand its halal market." He added: "Considering that the global halal market was valued at $1.088 trillion in 2012, South Korea has planned a project to increase the halal industry's value and expects further growth in the future."

“We believe that South Korea and Malaysia can form a very good partnership in this area (the halal industry). With the potential of South Korea’s manufacturing industry and Malaysia’s leading position in this area, if we can combine these two factors, I think we have a huge potential to expand the market even further.”

“We are trying to penetrate the halal market and Malaysia is a very important market for our agriculture and food production and we want to go deeper into West Asian countries,” he told Bernama after the launch of the 2015 K-FOOD Expo here today.

Cho stated that South Korea's food exports to Malaysia reached US$1 million last year. The 2015 K-FOOD Expo is an exciting and irresistible culinary event specifically catering to the halal community in South Korea. The 2015 K-FOOD Expo is organized by Korean agro-fisheries and food companies and officially endorsed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs of South Korea. Over 10 participants participated in the event.

Featured dishes include bibimbap (mixed rice), bulgogi (grilled marinated beef), and kimchi (fermented vegetables). The 2015 K-Food Expo took place from August 14th to 16th at the Mid Valley Exhibition Centre. Malaysia was the first country to launch the K-Food Expo, and this year, four other countries have been added: China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Dubai (UAE).