Hello. I am Kyungsook Lim, the 6th president of the Korean Food Promotion Institute(KFPI). 
I would like to express my deepest gratitude for your interest and support to KFPI in 2021. 

2022 is the Year of the Black Tiger. On the first day of the new year, our ancestors tried to defeat evil by relying on the bravery of tigers through sehwa(細畵), a painting of a tiger, and aeho(艾虎), a tiger-shaped figure made out of mugwort on Dano(the 5th day of the 5th month on the lunar calendar). As you can see from this custom, tigers were both feared and revered in our culture. I hope this year will be a time that is filled with energy and health to overcome COVID-19, just like a brave and passionate tiger. KFPI will do its best to promote Korean food, and disseminate correct Korean food and Korean food culture.
 

When I was appointed as the president of KPFI, I set four goals. 
First, we will establish a vision for Korean food promotion and a development strategy for the next 10 years.
We believe this year is an important time to prepare for KFPI to leap forward by establishing the management establishment plan and mid- to long-term management strategy based on the Korean Food Promotion Act(enacted in 2020).
Second, we will strengthen our research organization to restore confidence in traditional Korean food and to lead Korean food trends.
We will carry out the project for the institute to fulfill its role of supporting the anterior and posterior of the Korean food industry faithfully, from the restoration of traditional Korean food to the dissemination of Korean food information at home and abroad.
Third, we will build a Korean food platform centering on the “Korean Food Culture Space Eeum.”
In January 2022, the Korean Food Culture Center operated by KFPI will be expanded and reorganized, paving the way for the “Korean Food Culture Space Eeum” in Bukchon, Seoul. It will be the hub for Korean food, expanding its functions through the integration of a traditional liquor gallery and the Korean Food Grand Master Center.  
Lastly, we will establish a sustainable organizational basis by expanding our organization and budget. 
If we can reorganize KFPI and expand into new businesses, we can create a small but strong and sustainable system that can lead the Korean food sector.
 

Due to COVID-19, we had to face unprecedented changes all around the world. However, in the face of such changes, we enforced new rules and found joy and happiness in them. KFPI has also been leading various projects to promote Korean food and spread Korean food culture to the enjoyment of our people. 
In 2021, as part of the online Korean food experience program project, KFPI developed and distributed meal kits that allow people to watch Korean food experience lectures and experience Korean food cooking online anywhere in the world without the limitation of space and time. Those meal kits became so popular overseas. 
We distributed 1,240 sets of Korean food experience meal kits to 18 national institutions in various countries in Europe, Asia, North America, CIS, Oceania, and Africa, and operated the Korean food experience program. As a result, in the case of the Korean Cultural Center in Brazil, about 700 people applied for a 65-seat program, proving their deep interest to experience Korean food. Moreover, in the satisfaction survey conducted on program participants, 96.1% of the respondents showed high satisfaction for the program held in their locality. 
In the future, KFPI will lay the foundation for promoting and disseminating Korean food by developing Korean food programs that are tailored to the needs of consumers and responsive to various environmental changes.
 

When the Korean Food Promotion Act came into effect in August 2020, the role of KFPI as a public institution to oversee Korean food promotion projects has grown further.
While Korean food is a representative content of the Korean Wave and is occupying a large proportion in the diet, the Korean food industry is showing limited industrial growth due to weakened competitiveness, such as sales per company being significantly lower compared to Japanese and Western food sources.
The Korean Food Promotion Act was established to enhance the competitiveness of the anterior and posterior industries related to Korean food by introducing a system to designate outstanding Korean restaurants and training institutions that can lead the innovative growth of the Korean food industry, and to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of the people and national economic development.
Accordingly, KFPI has been continuously promoting the restoration of the original form of Korean food, research, and academic seminars, and cultivating Korean food personnel through diverse educational projects, such as “Korean food training instruction,” “overseas Korean food intern support,” etc., to nurture professional individuals who can promote the Korean food industry further. 
 

After the COVID-19 outbreak, the status of Korean food has been rising, following the introduction of Korean food as healthy food by the media around the world. 
The World Health Organization(WHO) introduced Korean food as a nutritionally balanced model, while the New York Post recently introduced Korean food as the secret to Koreans’ health. 
To continue this Korean food craze, KFPI will continue to strengthen the competitiveness of Korean food, and strive to play a role as a public institution that specializes in Korean food. We are facing an era of unprecedented transformation, including the rapid growth of the global food market and the changes in consumption trends in the Korean and overseas Korean food industry due to COVID-19. KFPI will expand and operate policy consumer-oriented businesses to respond actively to a rapidly changing environment. 
Due to the spread of COVID-19, KFPI has developed Korean recipe videos and meal kits that allow people to experience Korean food easily anywhere in the world without the limitation of space and time, a move that has gained vast popularity around the world. Through the operation of online Korean food programs that are tailored to the needs of consumers, we will prepare a framework that can be linked with the Korean food specialist dispatch business even after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
Moreover, we are promoting various projects to introduce Korean food to foreigners, such as the annual Korean food video contest for foreigners. We will do our best to publicize and promote Korean food to the world through diverse PR projects to raise the awareness of Korean food overseas.
Lastly, we will establish a pivotal role to disseminate Korean food by country by expanding and building a base for overseas Korean restaurant councils, and to continue to support businesses that reflect the needs of overseas consumers actively, such as supporting products with Korean flavor.
 

At the start of 2022, KFPI will come closer to you with a new look. 
The Korean Food Culture Center, which is operated by KFPI, will be reborn as “Korean Food Culture Space Eeum,” integrating the traditional liquor gallery and the Korean Food Grand Master Center. This is to expand its functions further, so that the institute can perform its role as a Korean food platform to secure competitiveness by developing traditional liquor, kimchi, jang(sauces), and hangwa(Korean sweets and cookies) together along the greater expanse of Korean food. We plan to create a fun space for young Koreans to experience Korean food and Korean food culture, and set up various programs that they can visit often.
In 2022, KFPI will establish a management innovation plan and a mid- to long-term management strategy based on the Korean Food Promotion Act to restore the tradition of Korean food, and strengthen the research organization and Korean food platform that can lead the Korean food trend by preparing the framework of disseminating Korean food and the Korean food culture. We believe that KFPI’s role is to create a foundation for developing Korean food into a leading independent industry, rather than an auxiliary means in support of the agri-food sector.
Throughout 2022, KFPI will continue to fortify its internal stability through various activities and promote the excellence of Korean cuisine to the world. We hope that you will enjoy our Korean food more closely and frequently, and extend plenty of interest and support to KFPI as well.

Happy New Year. Thank you. 

January 1, 2022
Kyungsook Lim, 
The sixth president of KFPI