Danish royal visit to South Korea: Strengthening relations between Denmark and South Korea
On the occasion of the State Visit by Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince Couple of Denmark, Danish companies will travel to Seoul in South Korea on an export promotion from the 20-22 May. The business activities and networking events will focus on the following sector tracks: Healthcare, Sustainability and Food & Lifestyle.
A substantial part of the visit will focus on strengthening the commercial relations between Denmark and South Korea and on celebrating the 60 years of unbroken diplomatic relations. The program for the business delegation includes three days of site visits, networking events and seminars.
The focus areas of activities, seminars and events will be
- Healthcare: Pharmaceuticals, medical devices, welfare technology and health services
- Sustainability: Energy efficiency, sustainable urbanization and wind energy
- Food & Lifestyle: Food & beverages, ingredients, furniture, acoustics and lifestyle & design product
Food & Lifestyle
Along with economic growth, South Korea is experiencing an increased demand for high quality products and a willingness to pay a premium for the right products. In recent years, consumer spending in South Korea has increased substantially and spending levels have changed the country’s traditional saving culture. This development can also be traced in the food and lifestyle industry, which makes Korea an interesting market for Danish food companies.
Korean demand for healthy and quality foods
Improved economic conditions allow South Korean consumers to pay more attention to quality and diversity in their food purchases and consumption. Although Korean produced food remains the preferred item on the menu, market trends are shifting. Customer sentiment is transitioning towards a demand for healthy foods of high quality with a clear traceability in food production. Simultaneously organic food has become one of the fastest growing product categories in South Korea.
South Korea depends heavily on imports of both raw materials and food products. Local production alone is not capable of meeting the rising demand for products of higher quality, greater variety and competitive prices. Industry sources estimate that roughly 70 % of all food products sold in the market are from foreign origins.
Denmark and South Korea have enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial relationship within the food sector and Danish food products are still a symbol of high quality to South Korean consumers. Considering the increasing consumer demand, there is still a big potential for Danish companies to enter the market in South Korea. There is also potential in the enzyme and food additive market as South Koreans are fond of functional foods.
Download fact sheets
- Quality & Safety (in English)
- Producing More with Less (in Korean)
- Gastronomy (in Korean)
- Quality & Safety Factsheet (in Korean)