Songpa District to Host 'K-Food Cooking Class' for Foreigners

48 Participants to Join, 24 Per Session at Garak Mall on September 14-15
Hands-On Cooking of Bibimbap and Beef Bulgogi
Experience Traditional Culture with Hanbok Photo Zone and More

Songpa District in Seoul (District Mayor Seo Kangseok) will hold a "Korean Food Cooking Class" this September 14 and 15 for foreigners residing in the district and tourists, offering them the opportunity to experience Korean cuisine and culture. A total of 48 participants, with 24 per session, will take part over two days.

Foreign Cooking Class Held Last October. Provided by Songpa-gu.

The classes will be held for approximately two hours and 30 minutes each day, starting at 2 p.m., at the Cooking Studio on the fourth floor of Garak Mall. Participants will learn about Korean ingredients and cooking methods, and then make and taste bibimbap and beef bulgogi themselves. The instructor will be Chef Kim Bokyung, a master Korean chef and head of the Korea Yaksun Specialist Association.

Songpa District selected bibimbap and beef bulgogi as the class menu items reflecting overseas consumer preferences. According to the "2025 Overseas Korean Cuisine Consumer Survey" by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korean Food Promotion Institute, satisfaction among those who have experienced Korean food was 94.2%, the percentage willing to eat it again stood at 80.6%, and awareness of Korean food reached 68.6%, the highest level since the survey began. Bibimbap and bulgogi have ranked among the top Korean dishes favored by overseas consumers alongside Korean-style fried chicken and kimchi in recent years.

This year's class will include foreign nationals from 15 countries, such as Germany, the United States, Hong Kong, Italy, and France. A photo zone on the theme of traditional Korean weddings will be set up before and after the class, allowing participants to wear hanbok and take photographs. The Songpa Tourism Supporters will be on site to guide participants and assist with cooking practice.

The number of foreign visitors to Songpa District increased from 2.12 million in 2023 to 2.98 million last year. According to the district, in the "2026 Korea Tourism City Competitiveness Index" by travel and tourism research institute Yanolja Research, Songpa ranked first overall among 255 administrative districts nationwide.

Recently, with the inclusion of areas like Songridan-gil, Bangimatgol, and Bangi Market into the Jamsil Tourism Special Zone, the scope of tourism has broadened. The district plans to expand tourist routes from established attractions such as Lotte World, Seokchon Lake, and Olympic Park to neighborhood businesses and traditional markets, aiming to increase visitors' length of stay and boost local spending.

District Mayor Seo Kangseok stated, "I hope foreigners from around the world will have the chance to make Korean food with their own hands, experience traditional culture, and discover what makes Korea special up close." He added, "By expanding experiential content that connects Songpa's tourism resources and K-culture based on the Jamsil Tourism Special Zone, we will develop Songpa into a tourism city where foreigners want to stay longer and return again."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.