Nina Jobst
Research expert covering South Korea
Eating behavior in South Korea - statistics & facts
With the expansion of Korean cuisine, most people have heard of the famous Korean fermented cabbage kimchi. But what really defines South Korean kitchen and eating behavior? Korean cuisine is known to consist of a large variety of vegetables next to rice, meat, and fish. Traditionally, banchan, or side dishes, are served alongside every meal. Fermented foods or ingredients have a long cultural standing in Korean cuisine and are also considered healthy. Thanks to this, interest and following investment in health-functional foods have been relatively high, and ingredients with health-improving properties and supplements have been sought after. South Koreans used to eat three meals a day, but due to time constraints from demanding work hours and diets to match high beauty standards, it is not unusual for meals to be skipped altogether.
The social aspect of eating
Meals are usually enjoyed together in Korean culture. Home-cooked food is of greater importance during holidays and culturally traditional events. Eating together is also significant in the workplace, as there are mandatory social outings with coworkers, called hoesik, in which participants eat and drink alcohol together. However, from even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the trend of eating alone (honbab) has been rising. Aside from the convenience of dining alone, the most significant factor for eating out was to enjoy a tasty meal. For most South Koreans, this meant visiting a Korean-style restaurant.Trends
South Korean consumers are very trend-aware and, as such, are keen to follow new and upcoming trends. While these trends can be pushed by advertisements, influencers, or celebrity interactions, foods matching the season and weather are among the most commonly recurring trends. Red meat, namely Korean barbecue, has been popular among South Koreans for several years, but this has shifted recently with growing awareness of animal rights and sustainability. Some are turning toward plant-based diets or looking to the many seafood-based dishes offered in South Korea due to its ample coastlines as a peninsula. South Koreans have dined out more often in the past because it was cheaper and faster than to cook at home, especially for smaller households. Due to the high cost of groceries, even dining out multiple times a week was more cost-effective than paying for groceries for the same amount of time. Because of this high price point of groceries, being able to cook at home was seen as almost a status symbol as you could afford to have fresh, healthy food at home and had the time to prepare it. But now that inflation has risen dramatically in the past couple of years, dining out as an alternative to cooking at home has become unattractive for many, regardless of their dietary preferences. As such, some have turned toward cheap food at the cost of their own health, for example consuming more convenience foods like instant noodles on a regular basis, while others went for meal kits. Meal kits have become more attractive lately as they give some of the convenience of dining out at cheaper prices than if one would purchase the ingredients separately at the store.
