| aT’s director of food exports, Kwon Oh-yeop (third from right), and Seol Sang-in, head of global business at Ourhome (fourth from right), pose for a photo with officials at the signing ceremony on Tuesday. (aT) |
The state-run Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp., also known as aT, announced Thursday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Korean food service giant Ourhome to expand the global presence of Korean cuisine and support domestic agriculture.
The partnership, supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, aims to introduce Korean dishes to institutional catering menus worldwide. It also seeks to secure export opportunities for small and medium-sized Korean food businesses while promoting the use of eco-friendly ingredients to address climate change, aT said.
Established in 2000, Ourhome operates in five countries and serves over 180,000 meals a day through its catering services. To meet the growing global demand for Korean food, the company said it has been steadily expanding its international operations.
Through this collaboration, aT hopes to position K-food as a staple in institutional catering markets through Ourhome’s extensive global network.
Earlier this month, the two organizations co-hosted a “K-Food Day” event at an LG Electronics plant in Monterrey, Mexico, where employees were served dishes such as tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), dumplings and kimchi stir-fry tacos. The event received positive feedback, with employees praising the variety and flavor of the dishes and expressing interest in having Korean food featured more regularly in their workplace meals, the company said.
“This partnership is about more than just food -- it’s about sharing the rich culture of Korea with the world,” aT’s director of food exports, Kwon Oh-yeop, said. “By expanding K-food globally, we’re not only introducing new flavors to international audiences but also supporting local farmers and food producers back home.”
