Jangseong-gun Accelerates Preparations to Host National Namdo Food Promotion Institute

Published 13 Jun.2023 15:08(KST)

Jangseong-gun, Jeollanam-do is accelerating preparations to attract the National Namdo Food Promotion Institute.

According to the county on the 13th, the National Namdo Food Promotion Institute is a national institution that discovers, preserves, researches, and develops Korean food culture.

Located at the northernmost part of Gwangju and Jeollanam-do, the county is the gateway to Jeollanam-do, famous as the land of flavors. It is considered the optimal site for establishing the institute as it is accessible via the Honam Expressway and also served by the KTX.

Jangseong-gun is accelerating preparations to attract the National Namdo Food Promotion Institute. Trainees visiting Baekyangsa Temple to learn temple cuisine [Photo by Jangseong-gun]

As part of the preparations to attract the National Namdo Food Promotion Institute, the county is focusing on strengthening capabilities and establishing a foundation.

Recently, an 8-week Namdo and local food promotion education course was completed, involving youth, students, and farmers interested in local cuisine.

Participants learned about local foods at the Advanced Jangseong Local Food Direct Market and temple cuisine from Monk Jeonggwan at Cheonjinam Temple in Baekyangsa.

On the 5th, a meeting was held to discover local foods for registration in the International Slow Food Biodiversity Foundation’s “Ark of Taste.” The goal is to prevent the extinction of endangered local foods and native seeds by registering them in the “Ark of Taste” and to raise public interest.

At last month’s Jangseong Hwangryonggang Hong Gil-dong Dance Flower Road Festival, a “Namdo Food Film Talk Show” attracted attention.

The event featured a screening of short films centered on food, followed by a discussion with food humanities scholar Ju Young-ha, Kim Hyunjin, director of the Namdo Traditional Food Culture Research Institute, and film festival planner Hwang Hyerim, engaging with the audience.

External exchanges are also active. Eric Briffa, head of department and officials from Le Cordon Bleu, a French culinary school, along with the European Union delegation, visited Baekyangsa. At the end of last year, Jangseong-gun and Dongshin University signed a business agreement.

The county will cooperate on employment and entrepreneurship, while Dongshin University will collaborate on promoting gourmet tourism. Recently, CJ Foodville, which signed a business agreement, plans to develop new menu items using Jangseong’s agricultural specialties.

Among future plans, the “Village Head Cook Discovery” stands out. Residents with unique cooking methods using Jangseong-grown ingredients such as Jipjang and Gam Danja will be appointed as village head cooks to promote local cuisine.

They will be selected through recommendations from towns and townships and expert evaluations, and will be offered benefits such as invitations to serve as instructors for cooking classes at the Advanced Jangseong Local Food Direct Market.

County Governor Kim Han-jong said, “Jangseong-gun is the most suitable place to widely promote the excellence of Korean food, K-food, which is gaining global attention, and to build international consensus. We will take one step at a time toward attracting the National Namdo Food Promotion Institute through systematic preparations.”