From Buldak Challenges to Michelin... How Video Content Has Elevated the Status of K-Food [Real-Economy Hallyu]

"The Black-and-White Chef" Boom Elevates Status of Fine Dining
Banchan Craze in Germany, Artisanal Soju Takes Root in Top U.S. Dining Districts
"A Sophisticated Gastronomic Export Blueprint for Premium Ingredients Is Urgently Needed"

Netflix 'The Black-and-White Chef' stills

The consumption landscape of Korean food has evolved from street food to high-end culinary culture. This qualitative shift has been driven by the Netflix cooking competition show "Heukbaekyorisa." Overseas viewers, who had regarded Korean food mainly as stimulating everyday dishes such as ramyeon and fried chicken, are now turning their attention to the fine dining realm represented by the Michelin Guide. They are moving beyond one-off thrills of challenging spicy flavors and entering a mature gastronomic culture that explores the essence of ingredients and the philosophy of the chefs.

Big data from the Korea Culture Information Service Agency provides clear numerical evidence of this change in the consumption landscape. In the past, the top search terms related to K-food were dominated by single items such as "Kimchi" and "Buldak-bokkeum-myeon." However, an analysis of foreign news and social networking service (SNS) data over the past year shows that the word "Chef" accounted for 5.9% of all related search terms. Keywords such as "Taste" and "Squid Game" also appeared at the top, demonstrating the strong correlation between video content and gastronomy.

At the center of this change are "Heukbaekyorisa" and culinary experts such as Ahn Sungjae. Through the show, they introduced to the world creative cooking methods that push the potential of Korean ingredients to the limit. They brought a weighty narrative that questions the essence of gastronomy into a market previously dominated by mukbang videos and disposable challenges. The aesthetic approach shown by the judges and contestants elevated the discernment of global viewers, who had focused mainly on visual stimulation. The show imprinted on audiences that the sophistication of Korean fine dining can compete on equal footing with the world’s top-tier culinary industries.

Stills from Netflix's Heukbaekyorisa

The gastronomic fervor seen on screen is spilling over into the real economy of the global restaurant industry. New consumption trends are emerging, tailored to each country’s cultural context. In Germany, banchan, once considered merely side dishes to accompany rice, have established themselves as an independent, high-end culinary culture. Local consumers are willingly paying for their characteristics as vegetable-centered health food and for the value of their sophisticated fermentation techniques.

In the most upscale dining districts of major U.S. cities, craft soju has secured its place as a premium alcoholic beverage. Instead of cheap diluted soju, high-end soju produced through traditional distillation methods is replacing wine and whiskey, elevating the status of Korean liquor.

The elevated stature of gastronomy brought about by visual media has transformed Korean food itself into a massive intellectual property (IP). In the past, it was merely a supplementary promotional tool for K-pop idols, but it has now secured an independent vitality that directly leads the global restaurant industry.

A representative of the Korea Culture Information Service Agency stated, "Since Korean food has gone beyond simple curiosity for foreigners and taken deep root in local high-end gourmet markets, there is a need to completely overhaul our export strategy." The representative went on to emphasize, "While the government and the food industry activate advanced industrial strategies such as exporting premium ingredients and fostering traditional liquor, they must also draw up a sophisticated gastronomic export blueprint capable of dominating the world’s finest dining tables."