"K-Mala Flavors Debut in Japan"... "Marabaek" Opens in Shin-Okubo, Tokyo

CEO Baek Jongwon Visits Store to Assess Operations

Theborn Korea announced on the 20th that it has opened "Marabaek," a malatang specialty restaurant, in Shin-Okubo, Tokyo, Japan. By introducing a "K-Mala" restaurant that fully embodies Korean flavors and atmosphere and tailoring it to local preferences, the company plans to offer Japanese customers an authentic Korean-style mala experience.

The exterior of Marabaek, a malatang specialty restaurant opened by Theborn Korea in Shin-Okubo, Tokyo, Japan. Provided by Theborn Korea

The menu at Marabaek has been localized to reflect the preferences of Japanese customers and local consumption trends. The signature dish, malatang, uses a beef bone and chicken broth base to cater to Japanese tastes, distinguishing itself from the heavily spiced Chinese-style malatang by adopting a K-Mala concept. This results in a clean yet savory broth. The restaurant also offers dishes such as malaxiangguo, handmade Guobaorou, and mala tteokbokki, along with topping options featuring domestic ingredients like seaweed rolls and kimchi dumplings.

To mark the opening of the first Marabaek location, Theborn Korea CEO Baek Jongwon personally visited the site. On April 18th and 19th, CEO Baek held a customer autograph session at the Shin-Okubo branch and assessed customer feedback on store operations.

A representative from Theborn Korea stated, "Marabaek is a locally customized brand, with its menu, restaurant space, and operation methods all designed specifically for Japanese customers. As malatang is rapidly gaining popularity among young people in Japan, making it an increasingly promising market, we plan to use Marabaek to validate our brand's competitiveness and further develop our strategy for expansion in Japan."

Meanwhile, Theborn Korea is preparing to open additional Marabaek locations in Japan this year and to launch its coffee specialty brand "Paik's Coffee" within the year. Marabaek is considering Osaka and Kyoto as potential expansion areas, and following the launch of Paik's Coffee, the company plans to systematically broaden its brand portfolio in the Japanese market through further expansion.

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