Incheon Yeonsu-gu Launches 'Global K-Food Square' Construction... Site to Be Confirmed Within the Year

Development of Food Streets, Shared Kitchens, Sales Areas, and Research Facilities
Concept for Asia's Premier K-Food Convergence Tourism Food Culture Complex

Yeonsu-gu Youth Food Startup Center Shared Kitchen [Provided by Yeonsu-gu, Incheon]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Yeonsu-gu, Incheon is embarking on the establishment of a 'Global K-Food Square' to build a future growth engine platform for the convergence food industry.

The district announced on the 3rd that this year it has finalized the site for the project and will begin full-scale construction of the 'Global K-Food Square,' equipped with a Korean food street, shared kitchens, permanent and special exhibition halls, smart farms, research facilities, and a business center.

Through this project, the district plans to create Asia's top K-Food convergence tourism and food culture complex that will serve as a platform overseeing the local food industry.

Originally, the district intended to purchase the site in 2020, build infrastructure last year, and open the K-Food Square this year; however, delays in site selection and the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic caused difficulties in advancing the project.

Recently, however, based on Incheon City's 2040 Basic Urban Plan and the rapid changes in dining culture trends due to COVID-19, the district has determined that the convergence food industry has become a future growth engine and has thus begun active progress.

The district plans to expand a sustainable local economic foundation by composing the K-Food Square with traditional, modern, and themed Korean food streets, along with spaces for restaurants and sales distribution, and to discover and nurture various contents such as shared kitchens, shared marketing, and startup innovation centers.

Additionally, it intends to operate a global museum showcasing the past, present, and future of Korean food with added enjoyment for domestic and international tourists, and to utilize the space as a venue for experience and talent development through tasting, sampling, hands-on activities, and education to discover food industry professionals.

So far, Yeonsu-gu has been selected as the best nationwide institution in the dining industry promotion sector by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs through its youth dining startup community space project, which was part of the 'Innovative Hygiene Policy K-Food Startup Living Lab' initiative.

To revitalize the old downtown area, the district designated the Seonhak-dong food street, Haknaraero, as a food culture street and has held annual festivals there. Last year, it was also selected as an excellent institution for nine consecutive years in the field of hygiene and safety management system establishment in the comprehensive evaluation of military and district administrative performance.

Building on these achievements, the district is promoting the Korean Traditional Smart Kimchi Support Project, the development of Hanok and food industry development models, and the construction of the Global K-Food Square to revitalize the food industry economy.

Gonam-seok, Mayor of Yeonsu-gu, stated, "We plan to widely promote the identity and excellence of Korean food globally, contribute to local economic revitalization through tourism resource development, and foster an international leap of the dining industry through the globalization of our cuisine."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.