Korean Food in Brazil

[Anchor Lead]

Brazilian people on the other side of the world are growing fond of the taste of Korean food. Korean food producers are making swift moves to seize the business opportunities.

[Pkg]

A downtown Korean restaurant is packed with Brazilian office workers during a lunch time. Most of the customers are eating the mixed rice bimbimbap seasoned with hot pepper paste along with soybean paste soup.

[Soundbite] (Sao Paulo Citizen) : "It is seasoned well. The red pepper paste tastes good. The combination of rice and vegetables is very delicious."

A Korean culinary expert is presenting dakgangjeong or Korean-style crispy fried chicken. Riding on the growing popularity of Korean food, eight Korean food companies hosted an exhibition and business consultations as part of efforts to penetrate into the Brazilian market. Major products are dried laver, snacks and instant noodle ramyeon. These are key items exported to Brazil. This is the first time a South Korean public agency in charge of marketing farm produce and fisheries is leading efforts to develop a South American

[Soundbite] Shin Chang-hyun(Korea Agro-Fisheries Food Trade Corporation) : "We came here to develop a South American market as exports to China have significantly been affected by the deployment of the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea."

In particular, Korean pears will be shipped to Brazil after having passed quarantine procedures for the first time in ten years. Korea's annual exports of agricultural and fisheries products stood at roughly ten million U.S. dollars over the past four years. However, expectations are running higher than ever, as the amount grew nearly 20 percent in July, compared to the same month last year.