K-Food Transforms Singapore’s Culinary Landscape

1. Hanwoo and Handon Promotion Event

2. Minister Song’s separate meetings with H.E. Damian Chan, Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Food Agency, and H.E. Grace FU Hai Yien, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment.

3. Encouragement of K-Food Export Hub Mission and Listening to Local Buyers and the Korean & International Food Service Industry

Sejong, 31 January 2026 — H.E. Song Miryung, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of the Republic of Korea attended the official commemorative event marking the first export of Jejudo-originated Hanwoo (Korean beef) and Handon (Korean pork) to Singapore on 30 January, where the minister actively promoted K-Food as part of the efforts to expand agri-food exports.

Prior to the event, Minister Song met with senior government officials of the Republic of Singapore responsible for food policy. At the meeting, the two sides reached a shared understanding of the food security challenges arising from climate change, and discussed the ways to strengthen bilateral partnerships and expand trade in support of food security.

1. Hanwoo and Handon Promotion Event

Following the conclusion of quarantine negotiations between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Singapore in November 2025 on the occasion of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, Jejudo-originated Hanwoo and Handon started to be distributed in the Singaporean market from December.

Within just over a month of the commencement of exports, Singapore has already become the second-largest export destination for Hanwoo, reflecting strong local demand. In response, an official export promotion event was organised to further strengthen early-stage market awareness.

The event was attended by approximately 160 participants, including Singaporean government officials, exporters and importers, 23 local media outlets, and influencers. Chef Ahn Sung-jae, widely known for his appearances on television programmes such as Culinary Class Wars (Black and White Chef), introduced the distinctive qualities of Hanwoo and Handon by comparing them with meats from other countries.

Chef Ahn said: “Hanwoo is a type of beef that can stand as the main feature of a dish even without additional sauces, while Handon is the freshest pork available in Singapore and has the potential to set a new benchmark in the Asian gourmet market.”

At the event, a formal multi-course dinner featuring Hanwoo and Handon was served, accompanied by traditional Korean alcoholic beverages and fruit-based desserts, contributing to the introduction of both the taste and aesthetic appeal of K-Food to Singapore.

2. Meetings with Government Officials of the Republic of Singapore

Meanwhile, on the morning of 30 January, Minister Song held separate meetings with H.E. Damian Chan, Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Food Agency, and H.E. Grace FU Hai Yien, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment. During these meetings, Minister Song requested that high-quality Korean agricultural and livestock products be given priority consideration as Singapore diversifies its food supply sources to enhance food security.

In particular, based on the mutual trust between the two countries regarding food safety and hygiene management systems, Minister Song requested cooperation to enable the export of beef and pork from other regions of Korea, in addition to the Jejudo-originated beef and pork first exported to Singapore in November 2025.

Minister Song also highlighted the excellence of Korea’s smart-farm technologies, proposed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote diverse forms of cooperation in the smart-farm sector, and expressed her hope that many Korean smart-farm companies would participate in large-scale master plans currently being pursued by Singapore, such as the Lim Chu Kang Project*.

* The core objective of the Lim Chu Kang Project is to establish an Agri-Food Zone, including above-ground glass greenhouses and underground farms, in order to transform the Lim Chu Kang area (390 hectares) into a sustainable food production zone.

3. Encouragement of K-Food Export Hub Mission and Listening to Local Buyers and the Korean & International Food Service Industry

Subsequently, Minister Song attended the opening ceremony of the K-Lounge* hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea to the Republic of Singapore, which has been designated as a K-Food export hub mission for 2026. Together with key participants including leaders of Korean community organisations, heads of public institutions, and influencers, Minister Song toured exhibitions showcasing processed foods, fresh agricultural products such as new strawberry varieties (Goldberry) and grapes, as well as traditional Korean alcoholic beverages.

* The second floor of the embassy building has been opened as an inclusive community lounge to support the implementation of the K-Initiative, serving as a venue for business-to-institution meetings, gatherings of the Korean community, cultural and economic events, and the promotion of K-Food and K-Culture.

Minister Song described the K-Lounge as a model example of a K-Food export hub mission, and encouraged continued efforts to effectively promote promising K-Food products in the local market by linking them with the K-Initiative, thereby achieving tangible results in export growth.

Following this, Minister Song held a roundtable discussion with local buyers, Korean restaurants, and representatives from the food service and restaurant franchise industry. Participants noted that the global popularity of Korean culture has significantly enhanced the status of K-Food, creating a highly favourable environment for global expansion. They emphasised the need to target niche markets through quality differentiation from competing products.

In response, Minister Song stated that the government would further strengthen support measures, including addressing logistics challenges, halal certification, and joint promotional activities linked to retail distribution channels, in order to expand exports of competitive products that meet local demand.

In her commemorative address at the Hanwoo and Handon promotion event, Minister Song Miryung said: “The Republic of Singapore is an important economic partner, and we expect that bilateral cooperation in strengthening food security can be further enhanced in the future. We will make every effort to ensure that the two countries can work even more closely together in the agri-food sector and related industries, in addition to the export of K-Food.”