Information on Over 500 Restaurants Nationwide
Including Recommenders and One-Line Reviews All at Once
‘Mugunghwa Hanjeongsik’ located in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, is a 100-year-old restaurant certified by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. As a nationwide hanjeongsik restaurant, the menu consists of a 4-person full-course table and a full-course special (hanjeongsik + tuna). The price range varies from around 100,000 KRW to 500,000 KRW for the special. The number of dishes is so abundant that the table legs might break. It is a regular spot visited by Kim Gi-moon, chairman of the Korea Federation of SMEs, whenever he stops by Jeonju. Chairman Kim commented, "You can taste the Jeonju Palmi dishes here."
Another favorite restaurant of Chairman Kim is ‘Gado Hoetjip’ located in Yangyang-gun, Gangwon-do. Although there are not many blog reviews on portals, it is a hidden gem known to those in the know. The assorted sashimi ranges from 60,000 KRW to 120,000 KRW, and mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) and hoe-deopbap (sashimi rice bowl) are also popular. Not only Chairman Kim but also customers who have visited this place unanimously praise the delicious food and friendly service.
Kwon Hyuk-hong, Senior Vice Chairman of the Korea Federation of SMEs and CEO of Shindaeyang Paper, frequently visits ‘Guneungchon’ in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do. This place sells native chicken baeksuk (boiled chicken), duck baeksuk, and grilled duck (one whole) for around 60,000 KRW. Bae Jo-ung, Senior Vice Chairman known as the father of broadcaster Tak Jae-hoon, recommends ‘Gammiok Main Branch’ located in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do. The signature menu here is seolleongtang (ox bone soup) boiled in a cauldron. They also serve stone plate boiled pork made from Korean beef, plate boiled pork, oxtail soup, beef knee soup, and beef bone rib soup.
Park Jong-seok, chairman of the Seoul SME Association, recommends ‘Sangam Gureumsan Chueotang’ in Mapo-gu, while Hwang Hyun-bae, chairman of the Incheon SME Association, picks ‘Golmokjip’ as a local favorite. Choi Seon-yoon of the Gangwon SME Association recommends ‘Gangmun Eohwa Hoetjip’ in Gangneung, Choi Byung-yoon of the Chungbuk SME Association suggests ‘Jungang Dakjip’, Jo Chang-hyun of the Daejeon-Sejong-Chungnam SME Association recommends ‘Jjukkumi-ne’, Lim Kyung-joon of the Gwangju-Jeonnam SME Association picks ‘Gwangju Bapjip’, and Heo Hyun-do of the Busan-Ulsan SME Association recommends ‘Jangryong Susan Main Branch’, each introducing their respective regional favorite restaurants.
On the 1st, the Korea Federation of SMEs published ‘SME CEO Favorite Restaurants’, which includes restaurants recommended by about 200 people including Chairman Kim Gi-moon and regional chairpersons. It contains the names, addresses, contact information, recommenders, and brief reviews of about 500 restaurants nationwide. By region, there are 22 in Seoul, 35 in Incheon, 40 in Gyeonggi, 16 in Northern Gyeonggi, 88 in Gangwon, 62 in Chungbuk, 31 in Daejeon-Sejong-Chungnam, 21 in Daegu-Gyeongbuk, 46 in Gyeongnam, 25 in Jeonbuk, 17 in Gwangju-Jeonnam, 31 in Busan-Ulsan, and 56 in Jeju.
The publication of the booklet is part of the ‘Living Vitality Temperature +5℃ Campaign’ jointly promoted by the Korea Federation of SMEs and the broader SME sector. The campaign, which started in May, aims to increase at least one indicator in the domestic demand, employment, or export sectors by more than 5% compared to the previous year.
Chairman Kim said, "By finding and introducing hidden small business favorite restaurants in various regions nationwide, we hope to enhance the joy of domestic travel while revitalizing the local economy by supporting small businesses even a little." He added, "To differentiate from existing favorite restaurants, we made efforts to include hidden gems that are hard to know unless you are a local resident or small restaurants being introduced to the public for the first time."
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