By Jeon Misun

The most popular Korean dish among consumers abroad this year is Korean-style fried chicken.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korean Food Promotion Institute on Nov. 23 said this in releasing the results of a Korean food study conducted on 11,000 consumers in 22 major cities worldwide from July 3 to Aug. 25.

Respondents showed high preferences for bibimbap, or rice mixed with meat, vegetables and gochujang (red pepper paste), kimchi and Korean-style fried chicken, showing growing global popularity of Hansik (traditional cuisine).

Fried chicken was the No. 1 Korean dish with 14%, followed by kimchi with 9.5%, bibimbap 8.2%, bulgogi (marinated stir-fried meat) 5.6%, ramyeon (instant noodles) 5.1%, samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly) 4.5% and kimchi fried rice 4.4%. 

Global awareness of Korean food reached 68.6%, up 2.9 percentage points year on year and the highest in the survey's history. Among those who had tried Korean cuisine, 94.2% said they were satisfied. When asked if they would try it again, the rate surpass 80% for the first time with 80.6%.

In addition, 65.1% said they grew interested in or sought out Hansik after seeing Hallyu (Korean Wave) content.

The study found that 71.7% had visited a Korean restaurant in their areas over the past year, with 93.1% of them saying they were satisfied with the food and 90.7% willing to go again.

By city, Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Manila (the Philippines) and Shanghai were among 10 metropolises that reported above-average satisfaction with Korean restaurants and a higher-than-average willingness to revisit. In contrast, cities like Tokyo, Rome and Paris showed relatively lower levels.

The ministry said, "We will strengthen our strategies to promote Korean cuisine tailored to regional consumption traits to further raise Hansik's standing in the global market."

msjeon22@korea.kr