"No One Can Resist This": The World's Most Popular Everyday Korean Food Is...

Over the past year, "Korean-style fried chicken" was selected as the most frequently eaten and most favored Korean food menu among overseas consumers.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korean Food Promotion Institute announced the results of the "2025 Overseas Korean Food Consumer Survey" on the 23rd, which targeted 11,000 consumers in major cities across 22 countries.

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong is handing out chicken to citizens during a "chimaek" gathering with Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, at Kanbu Chicken Samsung Branch in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 30th of last month. Photo by Jo Yongjun

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The survey found that bibimbap, kimchi, and Korean-style fried chicken were the most popular Korean dishes worldwide, and that the brand value of Korean cuisine has been further strengthened in the global market.

Korean-style fried chicken ranked first as the "most preferred Korean food" with 14%, followed by kimchi (9.5%) in second place and bibimbap (8.2%) in third. Next were bulgogi (5.6%), ramen (5.1%), grilled pork belly (4.5%), and kimchi fried rice (4.4%). As for the Korean foods most frequently eaten over the past year, Korean-style fried chicken (28.3%) and kimchi (28%) were nearly tied for the top spot, followed by bibimbap (19.9%), ramen (16.6%), bulgogi (14.0%), dumplings (13.3%), and kimchi fried rice (12.5%) also ranking high.

Awareness of Korean cuisine has also increased significantly. The percentage of respondents who answered that they "know about Korean food" was 68.6%, up 2.9 percentage points from last year, marking the highest level since the survey began. Among those who have tried Korean food, an overwhelming majority of 94.2% expressed satisfaction, and the proportion of those willing to eat Korean food again rose by 4.5 percentage points from last year to 80.6%, surpassing 80% for the first time.

In the past year, 71.7% of consumers had visited a local Korean restaurant. Among those who visited, 93.1% were satisfied with the restaurant, and 90.7% said they would visit again. By city, both satisfaction and willingness to revisit Korean restaurants were above average in Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, Shanghai, Jakarta, Beijing, London, Dubai, Sao Paulo, Sydney, and Hong Kong. In contrast, Tokyo, Rome, Paris, Taipei, Singapore, and Toronto showed relatively lower levels, with Tokyo recording the lowest satisfaction and revisit intention for the second consecutive year.

Interest in Korean cuisine has been boosted by Korean Wave content. The proportion of respondents who said they tried Korean food or became interested in it after experiencing Korean Wave content reached 65.1%.

Based on the results of this survey, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to expand policies such as region-specific Korean food promotion, strengthening the competitiveness of Korean restaurants, and globally promoting Korean cuisine in connection with Korean Wave content and ready-to-eat meals (HMR).

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