Agriculture Ministry, KOTRA hold K-food buyer consultation event to diversify exports

South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) held the "K-Food Buyer Export Consultation Event" on June 11 at KINTEX in Ilsan, in conjunction with Seoul Food 2026.

The event aimed to sustain the momentum of the K-food export boom, which pushed last year's K-food exports past $10 billion for the first time, reaching $10.4 billion. This year's event was more than three times larger than the previous year, drawing over 130 domestic and foreign companies.

KOTRA said the consultation event was part of its "agricultural food market development project," aimed at diversifying K-food exports beyond their current concentration in the United States, China and Japan toward emerging markets in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

The 10 countries selected this year as diversification targets represent a combined population of 1.75 billion and a GDP of more than $7 trillion. Yet they account for just 2 percent of current K-food exports, pointing to significant growth potential.

Buyers from the 10 countries visited exhibitor booths freely at the Seoul Food 2026 exhibition hall on June 9 and 10. On June 11, they held a total of 449 one-on-one B2B export consultations with 89 pre-matched Korean food companies in a dedicated consultation hall.

Major global retailers also signaled their intent to expand K-food imports. A purchasing official from Cencosud, Latin America's largest retail group, reviewed specific logistics and quarantine procedures for entering local distribution networks. Korzinka, Uzbekistan's top retail chain, said it plans to significantly expand its K-food processed goods lineup within dedicated K-food corners at its stores.

Following the consultations, buyers participated in a "K-Food Business Tour," visiting the headquarters and production facilities of Korean companies firsthand.

KOTRA President Kang Gyeong-seong said K-food exports surpassing $10 billion and being newly added to the government's list of 20 key export items underscores the sector's central role in diversifying exports and linking them to the cultural industry. "Through the agricultural food market development project, we will diversify food export items and markets, and strengthen cross-marketing with other cultural industries," he said.

Meanwhile, KOTRA has been stepping up its support for K-food's global reach on multiple fronts. Last month, it held a "Seoul Food in Hong Kong" showcase at Mora, a Michelin one-star restaurant in Hong Kong, to help domestic food companies break into export markets. That same month, it dispatched the "KF Global Bridge" trade mission to Hanoi, Vietnam, in partnership with the Agriculture Policy Insurance and Finance Service, to help agricultural food companies develop overseas sales channels.