South Korea launched its own Culinary Diplomacy program in 2009, a $77m investment entitled “Korean Cuisine to the World or “Global Hansik“. The goals of the program, run by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, are to promote the unique nature and health qualities of Korean cuisine (hansik), as well as to increase the number of Korean restaurants worldwide to 40,000 by 2017.
Projects undertaken by the Korean government include the opening of a Kimchi Institute, working to establish Korean cuisine as a course in internationally recognized cooking schools and the launch of a touring Korean Food Truck.