Gov't to help train overseas Korean restaurant employees

By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, July 30 (Yonhap) -- The government said Thursday it will help train
employees of overseas Korean restaurants to better prepare and serve Korean
dishes as part of efforts to improve perceptions of the country's traditional
cuisine.

The program aims to address complaints raised by patrons of Korean restaurants
about the disparity in tastes of the same dishes and the inability of waiters and
waitresses to explain ingredients and how to eat certain types of food, the
Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.
It noted that such shortcomings have effectively undermined the reputation of
Korean food and prevent it from gaining wider acceptance abroad.
"To overcome this, the government in cooperation with Dongwon Enterprise will
open a comprehensive training program that will cater to the needs of chefs,
serving personnel and store managers," a ministry official said. Dongwon is a
leader in producing processed Korean foodstuffs including kimchi, dried laver and
rice drinks.
The official also said that the program will be offered in Los Angeles, Tokyo and
Beijing from August through November. Instructors plan to spend eight days in
each city with each daily session to last about eight hours.
Up to 600 employees and managers are likely to attend courses under the program,
where they will learn the ideal methods for preparing ingredients, as well as
cooking and serving Korean food.
The ministry said that it has earmarked 153 million won for the program this year
and plans to allocate more funds in the future as the program is expanded to
include more cities.
It has also drawn up a plan to link up with famous overseas cooking schools to
systematically train chefs on Korean cuisine.
Seoul outlined a master plan in May to promote Korean food as a internationally
recognized cuisine by highlighting the distinct taste and nutritional value of
its traditional dishes.
The ministry hopes that a growth in the popularity of Korean food internationally
will lead to a pickup in overseas demand for locally grown products and processed
foods, giving a boost to local farmers and businesses.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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