Hong Kong retail: K-pop, K-dramas usher in growing demand for Korean restaurants

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Korean F&B operators and retailers that have forayed into Hong Kong have made a significant contribution to the city’s retail segment

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Seoul Recipe is opening a new outlet in Wan Chai in September. Photo: Handout

Cheryl Arcibal

Published: 12:15pm, 4 Aug 2024Updated: 3:50pm, 6 Aug 2024

Joongang Haejang, an iconic Korean restaurant that is open round the clock serving what is known as hangover stews, will open a 3,000 sq ft outlet in Hong Kong in September.

The restaurant, which typically has long queues to get into in the affluent Gangnam district in Seoul, will have a capacity of between 60 and 70 people at the Wan Chai branch, according to Korean businessman Lee Young Ho who, along with his sister Lee Young Kyung, is bringing the concept to Hong Kong.

Entrepreneur Jennifer Kim, who is behind the Korean casual-dining restaurant Danji, is opening another outlet of Seoul Recipe in Wan Chai. Seoul Recipe is a Korean food importer, manufacturer and distributor in Tsuen Wan, which she founded in 2017. The 800 sq ft outlet on Queen’s Road will have a small dining alongside pickup and delivery.

These two restaurants are among a few Korean food and beverage (F&B) operators and retailers that have come to Hong Kong recently. Their contribution to Hong Kong’s retail segment has become more significant, according to data tracked by JLL.

Entrepreneur Jennifer Kim, who is behind the Korean casual-dining restaurant Danji, is opening another outlet of Seoul Recipe in Wan Chai. Photo: Handout

“The surging global popularity of K-pop and Korean dramas has presented a valuable opportunity for Korean F&B operators to expand into overseas markets, and many of them see Hong Kong as a strategic stepping stone to further penetrate the broader Asian market,” said Michelle Chiu, director of retail at JLL in Hong Kong.