Taekwondo athletes from around the world experienced the healthy charm of Korean food at major international championships held across China, showcasing the growing global appetite for K-Food.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) announced on August 31 that they successfully hosted a consumer experience event promoting Korean agricultural and food products during international Taekwondo competitions held in Changsha, Hunan Province, and Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, from August 22 to 30.

The campaign kicked off in Changsha, where the '2026 China Open Taekwondo Championship' took place from August 22 to 24. As one of China's largest Taekwondo events, it brought together student and professional athletes from 28 countries and regions to compete in poomsae (forms) and kyorugi (sparring). Following this, Taiyuan hosted the '2026 World Taekwondo Women's Open Championship,' organized by World Taekwondo, from August 28 to 30.

Promoting Athlete Nutrition and Wellness

To support the physical conditioning and nutritional needs of visiting athletes, aT set up dedicated K-Food promotional booths at both tournament venues. The featured products included red ginseng, paprika, nutritious instant meals, high-protein products, and sports drinks. The exhibits drew enthusiastic responses not only from the competing athletes but also from coaches and tournament officials, who actively sampled and explored the items.

Combating Counterfeits and Protecting Authentic K-Food

Amid a recent surge in imitations and lookalike products that are easily mistaken for genuine Korean goods worldwide, aT took proactive measures. The promotional booths displayed authentic K-Food items side-by-side with counterfeit products. Officials provided visitors with essential guidelines on how to verify authentic Korean products and introduced aT’s official "Online Korean Food Pavilion," empowering consumers to make safe and correct purchasing decisions.

Global Athletes Share Their Experiences
The interactive experience resonated strongly with participants from diverse cultural backgrounds. Louis, a French Taekwondo athlete participating in the events, shared his enthusiasm:

"It was fascinating and fun to experience K-Food directly here in China. The red ginseng and functional beverages, which I learned are staples for Korean athletes, were my absolute favorites."
An aT representative stated:

"Taekwondo is a global sport with over 150 million practitioners across roughly 210 countries. Just as Taekwondo has established itself as a representative cultural heritage of Korea, we will strive to expand export markets so that K-Food can likewise become a beloved symbol of South Korea for people all over the world."