Kusumi Masayuki and Heo Young-man Authors' Korea-Japan Food Dialogue
1 Night 2 Days Korean Gourmet Tour Schedule
"Participating in Expanding Tourism Exchange Between Korea and Japan Through Food Culture"
"Eating is like traveling. In Tokyo's Korea Town, Shin-Okubo, young Japanese people line up to enjoy Korean hotteok and hot dogs. Their enjoyment of Korean food often leads to traveling to Korea. In this way, food becomes a reason to visit Korea."
Author Heo Young-man (left) of "Sikgaek" and author Masayuki Kusumi of "Kodokuna Mishigura" are meeting and talking at a Korean restaurant in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 13th. [Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]
Masayuki Kusumi, a representative Japanese food manga artist, visited Korea and had an enjoyable food dialogue with Korea's representative manga artist, Young-man Heo.
On the 13th, Masayuki Kusumi, the author of the manga "Kodoku no Gourmet," attended a dialogue on revitalizing Korea-Japan cultural tourism exchange through food, organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, where he made these remarks.
On that day, Kusumi said, "I was surprised when President Yoon Suk-yeol mentioned the drama 'Kodoku no Gourmet' at the Korea-Japan summit," adding, "I felt proud thinking that my work contributed to the expansion of exchange and cooperation between Korea and Japan."
Artist Young-man Heo agreed with Kusumi's earlier statement that "Eating is like traveling," saying, "I also think that food is the impulsive reason that makes you want to travel. While preparing the travel book 'If Japan is This Delicious,' which introduces hidden gourmet spots in small Japanese towns, I once visited a mountain village and fell in love with buckwheat noodles made from freshly harvested buckwheat," sharing his own experience.
Masayuki Kusumi has worked as a story writer for various food mangas such as "Kodoku no Gourmet," which has been translated and published in over 10 countries worldwide, "Hana-san's Simple Cooking," and "Gourmet in the Wilderness." He is also well known to the public for hosting a segment at the end of each episode of the drama adaptation of "Kodoku no Gourmet," where he personally visits the restaurants.
Heo is a representative Korean manga artist who created popular works such as "Sikgaek," which was adapted into a drama and film, as well as "Fly Superboard" and "Beat." Since 2019, he has been introducing hidden Korean flavors nationwide through the broadcast "Sikgaek Heo Young-man's Baekban Journey."
Artist Huh Young-man (left) of "Sikgaek" and artist Kusumi Masayuki of "Kodokuna Gourmet" are meeting on the 13th and taking a commemorative photo. [Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]
During the dialogue, the two artists agreed that interest in local seasonal foods and authentic local restaurants is an important attraction that leads to tourism and revisits. While discussing Korean and Japanese dishes such as jangajji (pickled vegetables) and dried pollack dishes, they promised to participate in K-tourism marketing to further expand Korea-Japan exchange through food.
Masayuki Kusumi, who visited Korea for a 2-day, 1-night schedule, will subsequently visit "local favorite restaurants" in Seochon and Samcheong-dong, areas likely to appeal to Japanese visitors. Additionally, he plans to parody the drama himself and introduce hidden gourmet spots in Korean alleys through videos to promote them to Japanese tourists.
A previous survey showed that 2 out of 3 Japanese tourists visiting Korea chose "gourmet and food exploration" as their most desired activity. In response, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to utilize the drama "Kodoku no Gourmet," which is popular among male viewers in Japan, as K-food tourism content targeting Japanese men, such as salaryman dining spots and solo drinking places.
A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official said, "Even after this event, at the Osaka Tourism Expo in October, we plan to discover 25 attractive K-food contents, including local seasonal ingredients and food experience programs, and actively promote Korean tourism content to the Japanese travel industry."
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