Ministry of Industry and KOTRA Host '2024 Fukuoka Food Service Franchise Consultation Meeting'

K-Food Franchise's Bridge to Entering the Japanese Market

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA announced on the 31st that they will hold the '2024 Fukuoka Food Service Franchise Consultation' at the KOTRA headquarters in Yeomgok-dong, Seoul, to support the entry of Korean food service franchises into Japan.

At this consultation, 15 major companies and consulting firms from the Fukuoka region, including Delihaek, which operates over 150 franchise stores in Japan, will visit Korea to conduct more than 50 consultations with 30 domestic food service franchise companies.

Unlike the past when franchises entered the market by developing localized menus, recently, K-Food has been targeting the local market with its 'Korean taste.' A well-known domestic franchise M, which recently entered Japan, has been receiving favorable reviews by highlighting the charm of Korean native burgers. M, famous for its chicken burgers, opened its first directly managed store in Tokyo in April this year and achieved a cumulative customer count of 100,000 within just one month. Coffee specialty store H also opened its first store in Osaka in May this year and launched a latte menu paired with traditional yakgwa.

According to a survey conducted in April on 1,000 Japanese adults, 76.6% of respondents said they like Korean food, showing a high preference for Korean dishes such as kimchi and bibimbap.

KOTRA has been receiving positive feedback from companies by implementing a 'Mystery Shopper' program, where KOTRA staff check the operation status of stores that have entered the local market to sustain the popularity of K-Food in Japan. Recently, they have been expanding support services by verifying local competing stores.

Jung Wooyoung, Head of KOTRA's Innovation Growth Division, said, "The popularity of Korean food service franchises felt locally in Japan exceeds expectations," adding, "KOTRA will support the cultural wave connecting to overseas franchise expansion through various projects in line with the latest demands of the Japanese market."

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