French food brands target health-conscious Koreans at Seoul showcase

French food and beverage brands gathered in Seoul to court health-conscious Korean consumers, with a record 19 companies taking part in Business France’s Food Experience 2026 exhibition at the French ambassador’s residence and the Kim Chung-up Pavilion, Monday. Now in its fifth year, Food Experience is a business-to-business event connecting French companies with Korean importers, distributors and food service industry professionals. Coinciding with the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries this year, the event featured a record 19 brands, presenting a wide range of products, from those already available in Korea to brands yet to enter the market. A particular focus this year was on companies from Occitania, a major food-producing region in southern France with diverse landscapes stretching from the Mediterranean coast to the Pyrenees and inland agricultural areas. Among them was beverage brand Gopy, which showcased ginger drinks positioned as a milder alternative to Korean ginger. "In France, it is now like a fashion," Anisa Maleck, Gopy's export manage