The Korea Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015 continues to enjoy growing popularity at the world fair currently underway in Milan, Italy, which will run until October 31.

In Expo, an Italian blog about Asian food, said on July 3 that the Hansik restaurant at the pavilion is, "at the top of our personal list of restaurants at the expo."

Bloggers tasted a range of Korean cuisine at the pavilion and have posted detailed reviews. They particularly enjoyed the kimchi stew, also known as kimchi jjigae, saying it was a, “true delicacy,” while adding that the dish is, “sensational, tasty and invigorating.”

The bloggers at In Expo also enjoyed the crispy and crunchy fried chicken, the dakgangjung, saying it is, “fun to eat and very nutritious.” The dessert they sampled at the pavilion was, “probably one of the best at the whole expo.”



In addition to the cuisine, on June 29 the Italian fashion magazine Why Not selected the Korea Pavilion as one of the top 10 things to see at Expo Milano 2015. The magazine said the Korea Pavilion was, “an arena of dialogue and discussion on how we can provide food for humanity in the future.”


The Italian travel blog Blogo wrote on June 28 that the Korea Pavilion, “brings Expo Milano 2015 traditional food and innovation.” The blog said that Hansik is, “a classic Korean power, bringing with it the Latin principle of, 'a healthy mind in a healthy body.'” It explained the Korean people's mindset concerning Mother Nature, saying that, “For Koreans, nature is not, in fact, an object that must be conquered by humans, but something that must be understood and treated with respect.” It also added that the Korea Pavilion is one of the favorites among children, along with those of Japan and Brazil.


 
As the popularity of the Korea Pavilion has gone viral, celebrities continued to show up there. Well-known Italian comedian and actor Antonio Albanese visited the pavilion on July 3. He spoke about his impressions of the Korea Pavilion, saying that it is, "beautiful and a most useful pavilion."

Argentinean super model Valeria Mazza said that the Korea Pavilion delivers, “a very important message, which people do not consider seriously, in a very impressive manner.”

Visitors to the pavilion have also included Jean-Claude Marcourt, the Belgian minister of economy, industry, innovation and digitalisation in the Walloon government, and Claudio Luti, president of Italian luxury furniture brand Kartell. Luti said he heard that the Korea Pavilion was one of the most popular PR venues at the expo, when asked about his visit. He serves as a PR ambassador for the expo.





Meanwhile, Korea organized “Korea Week” with a range of events and performances, starting on Korea Day, June 23, and has shone in the strong media spotlight.

During the week-long series of events, local media outlets have shown great interest in covering the events. One of them was the Italian daily Corriere Della Sera, which wrote that Korea is the first country to celebrate Korea Day both in and outside the expo venue and in the streets of Milan over three days.



By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization, Yonhap News
arete@korea.kr