The ‘fake Korean restaurant’ is spreading in Europe,North America

rises with K-pop and K-drama, Chinese people run Korean restaurants, more than 20 places in Paris,LA,etc...

 

 

A 15-minute walk from Notre Dame Cathedral, a tourist attraction in Paris, France, there is a well-known Korean restaurant in the 11th arrondissement in the center of Paris. There was a sign with the words ‘BBQ coréen烤’ written in French and Chinese characters, and there was also an inscription which means ‘Korean restaurant.

 

This is a seemingly 100% Korean restaurant that sells kimchi, soybean paste stew, bulgogi, and various korean style food. The rating on the Internet restaurant evaluation site was also very high, with 4.5 out of 5. A Frenchman also says, “The taste and service are the best among Korean restaurants I have ever been to.”

 

 

However, looking at the menu of the restaurant, I noticed  something that were totally different from traditional Korean restaurants. There were unfamiliar menus that do not appear in Korean cuisine, such as salmon dishes and lamb dishes.

 

It was also unusual that the Chinese cuisine ‘Kanpunggi’ was  also included in the menu. Above all, menu information was written in Chinese characters on the menu board. Unlike other Korean restaurants with many Korean tourists, the customers here were all locals.

 

When I asked a nearby korean tourist, an unexpected answer came back. “This is not a real Korean restaurant. It’s actually a ‘Chinese restaurant’ run by a Chinese.”

 

 

There are so many Korean restaurant in NYC, LA... “Currently, there are about more than 20 Korean restaurants” said a Korean man living in the USA. But the funny fact is that the whole number of korean restaurants in the world run by real-korean are 200 or so. However, the number is rapidly increasing with the recent Korean culture craze represented by the popularity of dramas and K-pop.

 

A Korean resident who runs a restaurant in the united states, where many Koreans live, said, “Recently, so many Chinese-run Korean restaurants appeared nearby.

 

Such case is not only obsered in the united states. A similar case is being observed in French provincial cities such as Lyon and Marseille, and in other large European cities such as Berlin, Frankfurt, and Prague in Germany. 

 

 

A German resident said, "Chinese restaurants that were successful in serving Chinese tourists are changing their business to Korean restaurants preferred by locals as their sales have plummeted after the outbreak of covid-19

 

As 'Korean chicken' became very popular, Chinese 'chimaek (chicken beer) restaurants' were increased rapidly. Some of them put the word ‘K’ in their business name and wrote “I’m from Seoul” written in Korean.

 

Chinese people reduced the spicy taste of Korean food and added a sweet and salty taste. In addition, they are actively deliver fake korean food using Chinese apps such as 'Uber Eats' and 'Deliveroo', as well as 'Hungry Panda' and 'Allorpin'.

 

 

These Chinese Korean restaurants also use the Chinese network for supply of food ingredients. Not only various vegetables and meat, but also soy sauce, red pepper paste, and soybean paste, which are essential for Korean food, are supplied from Chinese marts. Most of the ingredients are from China.

 

Some Koreans say, “Chinese Korean restaurants are introducing ‘fake Korean food’ to Europeans and Americans. 

 

There is also an opinion that “Isn’t it necessary to implement a ‘certification system’ for Korean restaurants?” In the case of Japan, in 2006, it promoted the introduction of a certification system for Japanese restaurants overseas in an effort to promote the proper Japanese food culture against so-called 'fake Japanese food'. However, the Japanese government withdrew when the American and European media criticized it as a “cultural nationalist idea.” Instead, a private organization called the “Japanese Restaurant Overseas Promotion Organization (JRO)” has appeared and is giving the “recommended Japanese restaurant” certification mark.