Notice of Application for Designation as Excellent Korean Restaurant in 2025

1) Overview

❍ Legal Basis for Designation : Article 15 of the Act on Korean Food Promotion (Designation of Excellent Korean Restaurants)

❍ Target Cities for 2025 : 4 cities
- Paris(France), London(United Kingdom), Los Angeles(United States), Singapore
* The number of target countries(cities) is planned to be gradually expanded in the future.

❍ Designation application announcement available on the website of the Korean Food Promotion Institute (www.hansik.or.kr).

2) Support to be Provided to Designated Restaurants

❍ Issuance of Excellent Korean Restaurant Certificate and production of designation signage

❍ Promotion of designation and support for the purchase of Korean ingredients, etc.
* New designees: financial support for the purchase of Korean ingredients (up to KRW 10 million per restaurant)
* New and existing designees: promotional support for designated restaurants

3) Mandatory Eligibility Requirements for Application (mandatory items from designation criteria)

❍ Must have operated a Korean restaurant in the relevant country for the past three years

❍ At least 60 percent of all main dishes on the menu must be Korean cuisine

❍ Must not have violated local hygiene/sanitation regulations over the past two years

4) Designation Criteria and Detailed Evaluation Standards

❍ Mandatory Items : ① Must have operated a Korean restaurant in the relevant country for the past three years, ② At least 60 percent of all main dishes on the menu must be Korean cuisine, ③ Must not have violated local hygiene/sanitation regulations over the past two years

❍ Evaluation Items : ① Quality and service level of Korean cuisine, ② Hygiene management of the restaurant, ③ Restaurant’s appearance, cleanliness, and customer guidance, ④ Contribution to the promotion and dissemination of Korean cuisine
※ The designation criteria are prescribed in the Enforcement Regulations of the Act on Korean Food Promotion, and the evaluation items are stipulated in the Detailed Evaluation Standards for the Designation of Excellent Korean Restaurants as announced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (subject to change through official amendment procedures).

5) How to Apply

❍ Application Period : April 10 to May 19 (Thu-Mon), 2025 (Korea Standard Time)

❍ How to Submit : Submit the Application for Designation as Excellent Korean Restaurant (refer to Attachment 1), required supporting documents (Attachment 2), and Consent to the Collection, Use, and Disclosure of Personal Information to Third Parties (Attachment 3) via email to excellent@hansik.or.kr.
※ If it is deemed necessary for an applicant to submit additional materials, all relevant requests will be sent to the email address provided in the application. The KFPI does not assume any responsibility for the applicant’s failure to submit the application by the specified date, the applicant’s failure to see such email requests, or the inability to contact the applicant due to the applicant’s provision of incorrect contact information on the application.
※ Designation as Excellent Korean Restaurant may be revoked if, according to Article 15-3 of the Act on Korean Food Promotion, (1) such designation was made based on false information or other fraudulent means or (2) it is later discovered that the restaurant fails to meet all designation criteria

6) Designation Process : Application Submission → Screening (document review and on-site evaluation) → Comprehensive Review → Designation

❍ Document Review : Check for completeness of submitted documents and fulfillment of mandatory requirements.
* If additional documents are not submitted within two weeks after the request, the application will be excluded from further evaluation.

❍ On-site Evaluation : Conducted via announced and unannounced evaluations based on the Detailed Evaluation Standards for the Designation of Excellent Korean Restaurants as announced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
* Detailed on-site evaluation schedules will be provided, on an individual basis, to restaurants subject to evaluation. Failure to cooperate with on-site evaluations will result in disqualification from the process.

❍ Comprehensive Review : Final deliberation on designation as an Excellent Korean Restaurant

❍ Designation : Issuance of Excellent Korean Restaurant Certificate and public announcement of the designation on the websites of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korean Food Promotion Institute.
* Final designees will be notified individually.

7) Contact Information : Digital Contents Team , Korean Food Promotion Institute (Tel: +82-2-6320-8431, Email: excellent@hansik.or.kr, KakaoTalk Channel: @해외우수한식당지정제)