In recent years, with the acceleration of modern lifestyles, the role of pre-prepared meals in everyday life has become increasingly prominent. According to relevant data, the market size of pre-prepared meals in China reached RMB 419.6 billion in 2022, and it is projected to exceed RMB 1 trillion by 2026. However, this growing market is sharply contrasted by the ongoing controversies surrounding pre-prepared meals in China. In addition to concerns over food safety and cultural perceptions, a number of people argue that, due to the inherent diversity of Chinese cuisine in terms of both dishes and flavors, it is challenging to fully "pre-package" Chinese food. On the other hand, Korean cuisine, which shares many similarities with Chinese cuisine, presents a different scenario in terms of its adaptation to the pre-prepared meal market. Data shows that in 2023, the total value of China's pre-prepared meal exports reached approximately USD 1.6 billion, while South Korea's exports in the same year amounted to around USD 720 million, about half of China's total.
Today, industrially produced Korean food can be found in supermarkets in the United States, convenience stores in Japan, and even in in-flight meals in the Middle East. This is no coincidence. In recent years, South Korea's food exports have continued to grow, with kimchi, frozen dumplings, and instant rice being the most prominent products. Behind this growth is the industrial transformation of Korean cuisine, which has moved from the home kitchen to the global dining table. The key driver of this process is technology.
In terms of the industrialization of Korean cuisine, as early as the 1990s, South Korean food companies began promoting the standardization and mass production of traditional foods. The first products to be industrialized were instant noodles and condiments, such as Nongshim's Shin Ramyeon and CJ's soy sauce and MSG. These products had relatively low technical barriers and were well-suited for mass production. However, foods like kimchi, bibimbap, and tteokguk rice cake soup, which require a "handmade" touch, were long considered difficult to industrialize. The challenges include controlling taste, texture, shelf life, and fermentation processes.
Industry insiders point out that the true driver of the industrialization of Korean cuisine was a series of key technological breakthroughs that occurred after the 2000s.
The first key technology is the low-temperature fermentation and sterilization for preservation. Foods like kimchi have established a strong presence in European and American markets largely due to advancements in fermentation control technology. Taking Daesang Group's Jongga Kimchi as an example, the company has mastered the precise control of salt content, lactic acid bacteria ratios, and temperature, allowing kimchi to ferment under low-temperature conditions. Additionally, they use low-temperature sterilization combined with vacuum packaging to extend shelf life. Today, Jongga Kimchi is exported to over 30 countries, with its export value surpassing USD 67 million in 2023. This technology solved the long-standing issues of kimchi being difficult to preserve and hard to standardize, transforming it from a homemade process into mass production on an assembly line.
The second key technology involves the use of freezing for freshness preservation combined with rapid reheating. An example is Bibigo's dumplings and bibimbap. The Bibigo brand, under CJ CheilJedang, utilizes advanced freezing technology to maintain the fresh taste of pan-fried dumplings and rice dishes, even after cold chain transport. Paired with microwave-friendly packaging, the technology ensures that rice remains fluffy and grains are distinct, while sauces are evenly distributed when reheated. This innovation enhances both convenience and flavor, making it ideal for specialized settings like airline and high-speed rail catering.
Next, there is the technology of automated cooking systems and food modeling. Industrialization is not just about following the recipe but rather more about modeling and system control. Some Korean food companies have developed automated fryers, intelligent seasoning systems, and assembly-line cookware by digitally modeling traditional dishes, analyzing factors like frying temperature, stirring intensity, and timing. This has significantly reduced the need for human intervention while maintaining consistent flavor. For example, CJ has developed an intelligent central kitchen cooking system that can stir-fry thousands of servings of bibimbap sauce per hour, with a margin of error of only 0.5 grams. This ensures that consumers in different countries around the world can enjoy a taste "as if it were just brought directly from Korea".
Finally, there is the balancing of HACCP(Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) with "Korean flavor". In food exports, meeting international safety standards is a non-negotiable requirement. South Korean companies widely adopt the HACCP system, ensuring traceability and control from raw materials to production. The challenge of this system is to maintain the traditional flavors of Korean cuisine, such as the taste of fermented food, spiciness, and umami, while also meeting the demands of Western countries for low-salt, low-sugar, and preservative-free products. This has driven companies to improve their seasoning systems, select appropriate strains of bacteria, and implement "clean label" strategies, pushing the entire industry toward an upgrade to "healthy Korean cuisine".
Final analysis conclusion:
Industry insiders point out that many people assume the industrialization of Korean cuisine is simply due to hallyu, i.e., the rise of Korean pop culture, but in reality, the core competitiveness of pre-prepared Korean dishes lies in using technology to transform traditional home-cooked methods into standardized processes. From kimchi to rice, from soup packets to frozen tteok rice cakes, these seemingly simple foods have undergone technological upgrades in areas such as flavor, preservation, packaging, and safety. It is precisely these "invisible" systems and processes that have made it possible for Korean cuisine to expand internationally and enter supermarkets worldwide.
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Zhou Chao is a Research Fellow for Geopolitical Strategy programme at ANBOUND, an independent think tank.
