Opening Ceremony of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Food Expo, with over 30 organizations from central ministries, public institutions, and the industrial sector participating

Gyeongsangbuk-do has launched the "Food Hallyu Industry Alliance," encompassing everything from food raw material supply to food tech, exports, and gastronomic tourism, thereby establishing a cooperative framework for expanding the global market for K-Food.

The province held the 18th Gyeongsangbuk-do Food Expo from the 16th to the 18th at the Gumi Park Chung-hee Gymnasium under the theme "The Future of the Food Hallyu Industry Starting from Gyeongbuk."

The opening ceremony was attended by Yang Geum-hee, Vice Governor for Economic Affairs of Gyeongsangbuk-do, National Assemblyman Kang Myung-gu, Gumi Mayor Kim Jang-ho, mayors and county heads from 22 cities and counties in the province, and related organizations. More than 30 organizations participated to launch the alliance, including central ministries such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; public and government-funded institutions such as the Korea Food Research Institute and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT); as well as universities, industrial sectors, and food-related associations.

The participating organizations shared the vision of "starting first in Gyeongbuk, spreading across South Korea, and advancing into the world." They agreed to prioritize testing food industry innovations in Gyeongbuk, build an industrial ecosystem that supports corporate growth and global expansion, and spread the K-Food Hallyu wave by utilizing local food culture and gastronomy.

The province and participating organizations decided to discover cooperation tasks across six key areas: building a stable food raw material supply chain, manufacturing innovation based on food tech and AI, corporate growth and investment revitalization, regulatory innovation and new industry demonstration, expansion of the global market for K-Food, and industrialization and globalization of traditional food culture.

They also plan to establish a Gyeongbuk-type food industry governance model by organizing an executive working group that connects everything from discovering on-site tasks and planning joint projects to commercialization and national funding projects.

This year's expo was organized as an event encompassing the entire food industry, ranging from raw materials to food tech, gastronomic tourism, and exports. The expo venue featured five food-themed pavilions and a food business pavilion involving 22 cities and counties and 80 food companies.

Market development programs, such as overseas market consulting, export consultations, and AI live commerce, were operated for participating companies. Hands-on programs, including an AI recipe competition, were also held concurrently.

Visitor convenience was enhanced, and regional economic revitalization was boosted by linking with the "2026 Gumi Food Festival" through shuttle buses and stamp tours.

Yang Geum-hee, Vice Governor for Economic Affairs of Gyeongsangbuk-do, stated, "If the establishment of the first dedicated food organization by a metropolitan local government was the signal flare for Gyeongbuk to advance as a national test bed for the food industry, today's launch of the alliance marks our entry into full swing."

She emphasized, "We will make Gyeongbuk—equipped with superior ingredients, traditional food culture, and manufacturing and processing technologies—a representative case of food industry innovation."

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]