The rise of K-pop culture in Asia has led to regional consumer craze for everything Korean from music, to drama series, Korean food as well as fashion.
However, in South Korea itself, there is a revolution happening in the home country due to the growing number of people opting to cook at home since the pandemic. And this is exacerbated by the rising cost of dining outside. One interesting trend is the rising popularity of Chinese dishes which led to the launch of Chinese sauces into the Korean market.
According to a reliable source, imports of Chinese sauces hit a record high in 2023 to reach 75,806 tons, with sauces imported from Hong Kong also setting a new record at 7,104 tons. The rapid increase in the import of Chinese cooking sauces reflects Koreans’ diversifying taste buds.
Since the post-pandemic, there was a rise in overseas travel which led to growing preference for foreign cuisines. Chinese cuisine has particularly captivated Koreans, with dishes such as Malatang and Tanghulu enjoying immense popularity among school students and leading to a surge in the import of Chinese food ingredients. Restaurants rely 100% on imported Chinese cooking sauces, and the recent spike in dining-out costs led to noticeable demand among consumers to cook Chinese dishes at home, which has not gone unnoticed by the food industry.
Korean importer, Ottogi has been one of the most notable beneficiaries of this trend. Having exclusively imported Lee Kum Kee oyster flavored sauce since 1996, Ottogi has gradually expanded its product line to include Doubanjiang and Malatang sauces. In addition, Ottogi launched a ready-to-use Malatang sauce in January 2024 as it starts to produce and sell its own line of Chinese sauces.
Another player, Sempio has also launched its Chinese cooking sauce brand Chao Chai with a total of 11 products that was developed over a period of 5 years.
So it looks like K-Pop is making its huge impact overseas, but the domestic home cooking market is invaded by Chinese influences.
