1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Jeollabuk-do (province) and Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), held the final round of the Global Taste of Korea Contest 2015 at the KBS, Seoul, on August 28.

2. The first-place prize of 10,000 US dollars went to Grant Sato from Hawaii, the US, while Wei Tzeh Chung from Malaysia and Garkusha Anna from Uzbekistan won the second-place and friendship prizes, respectively.

3. The contest preliminaries had been held at 16 diplomatic missions of the Republic of Korea in 15 countries in June-July, 2015, drawing entries of hansik (Korean food) recipes using the ROK’s agricultural exports. Sixteen out of the 218 participants in the preliminaries advanced to the final round held in the ROK.

◦ For the participants in the preliminaries and audiences, exhibitions on the ROK’s agricultural exports, sample tastings and hansik cooking classes were held to enhance their interest in the ROK’s agricultural products and promote their consumption of the products.

4. The finalists studied Korean culinary arts in Jeonju, the city of hansik, and had first-hand experiences of other aspects of Korean culture in Namwon and Iksan, Jeollabuk-do, for a week from August 20.

5. The 16 finalists, including the first-place winner, Grant Sato, were appointed as the ROK Foreign Minister’s Honorary Envoys for the Promotion of Korean Food and thereby will play a role in promoting Korean flavors in their home countries.


* unofficial translation