Yangju City and Malaysia's Tadmansori Group Join Hands for Global Expansion of K-Halal Food

Yangju City in Gyeonggi Province has joined forces with Malaysia's major conglomerate, the Tadmansori Group, to open the door to international cooperation for the global expansion of "K-Food" into the halal market.

Yang Soo Hyun, Mayor of Yangju City (left), and Tengku Retwan Tadmansori, General Director of the Tadmansori Group, are posing for a commemorative photo after signing a joint statement on the 30th to promote the "Global Halal Food Cluster" project. Provided by Yangju City

On April 30, Yangju City announced that it had signed a joint statement with the Tadmansori Group at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre (WTCKL) to promote the "World Halal Food Cluster" (WHFC) project. The two sides shared their plans for the cluster's development and market expansion strategies, laying the foundation for cooperation.

The global halal food market was estimated to be worth approximately $2 trillion, or about 3,000 trillion won, as of 2024.

This figure is 1.7 times larger than the entire U.S. food market and 1.6 times larger than China's, making it a new growth engine for the food industry.

The halal consumer population, numbering around 2 billion, accounts for one quarter of the world's population, and the market is rapidly expanding in line with continuous population growth.

In response to this trend, the WHFC is being promoted as a leading project that goes beyond a simple export model. It aims to establish a global food cluster centered on "K-Food," which reinterprets Korea's unique food culture to meet halal standards.

In addition, the city is working to establish a supply chain management (SCM) system targeting key demand regions such as Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and is actively encouraging companies to participate in obtaining halal certification and expanding distribution of "K-Food."

Furthermore, the Tadmansori Group, the core partner in this collaboration, is a large company with strong credibility and a robust network in Malaysia, and is expected to further accelerate the progress of the WHFC.

In particular, Malaysia is considered a strategic hub within the ASEAN market, and this partnership is expected to provide an important foundation for the overall success of the WHFC project.

Yangju City plans to officially invite the top management of the Tadmansori Group for an on-site inspection in Yangju and to begin full-scale discussions on specific investment plans.

At the same time, the city will actively continue a variety of investment attraction activities to bring in promising domestic and international food companies, accelerating its efforts to become a global food industry hub centered on the WHFC.

Yang Soo Hyun, Mayor of Yangju City, said, "Through discussions with the Tadmansori Group, we have confirmed a positive consensus on cluster development and global cooperation," adding, "We hope that this collaboration will enable Yangju City to become a center for the globalization of 'K-Food' and play a key role in expanding the horizons of Korea's food industry."

Meanwhile, the cooperative project being promoted by Yangju City is a "win-win project" that pursues "export-oriented economic cooperation" for the strategic overseas expansion of "K-Food," while harmonizing with the region's cultural identity.

The city explained that this is a pure "economic partnership" that expands industrial competitiveness by introducing high-quality locally produced foods to the global market, without undermining the community's living environment or identity.