The Korean cuisine pavilion at the Expo 2015 in Milan has attracted 2.3 million visitors over the past six months, the Culture Ministry said Sunday.
The figure represents one-tenth of the total visitors to the Milano Expo, which ended its six-month run on Oct. 31, the ministry said in a statement, noting an average 12,000 people visited the Korean pavilion every day during the exposition, which began May 1 under the theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.”
The 3,990-square-meter Korean Pavilion promoted hansik, or traditional Korean food, as healthy, tasty and nutritious food for the future during the expo, one of the three biggest global events, alongside the Olympics and the World Cup.
Titled “Hansik, Food for the Future: You Are What You Eat,” the pavilion was composed of a Korean restaurant and food exhibition halls, the ninth largest among the 45 national pavilions at the expo.
The restaurant offered six dishes developed by CJ Foodville Corp., Korea’s largest restaurant franchise, under the concept “harmony, healing and health,” including bibimbap (mixed rice and vegetables), galbijjim (beef rib stew), japchae (sweet potato oodles) and kimchi (a fermented side dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings).
The pavilion has also organized networking events, international forums and Korean performing arts events to promote Korean culture in Europe.
“I am proud that the Korean pavilion has helped promote the Korean food culture among Europeans,” said Cho Duck-hyun, head of the pavilion. “We will continue trying hard to publicize Korean food by merging it with culture, tourism and storytelling.” (Yonhap)
