"Let's try kimbap and ramen"... K-food is booming on the Korean Wave.

 As K-content continues to gain popularity, global interest in Korean food is growing.

Exports are also booming, with ramen exports reaching a record high in the first half of this year.

Japanese tourists who visited Korea because of K-content

They reveal a Korean restaurant they've been wanting to visit, their eyes sparkling.

<Ao Akira / Japanese Tourist> "(Why did you come to Korea?) My child loves the squid game. (What do you want to do?) Now, I'm going to go eat a whole chicken."

As interest in Korean culture expands to food, the popularity of K-food is also growing.

Japan is particularly convenient due to its proximity.

The recent Netflix animated series "K-Pop Demon Hunters," which broke its all-time viewership ratings record, attracted attention with its depiction of the main characters enjoying cup ramen and kimbap.

A video titled "Kimbap from Kadehen" went viral on social media, leading to a shortage of frozen kimbap sold at a US grocery store.

In response, Korean food companies are accelerating the export of frozen kimbap, expanding their sales channels globally to Japan, Australia, Singapore, the US, and Europe.

With growing demand for K-food, exports of processed rice products have nearly tripled in the past five years, and K-ramen exports exceeded 1 trillion won for the first time in the first half of this year.

A duty-free shop in Seoul has even created a dedicated K-food section.

Products developed by K-pop stars are also experiencing a surge in exports.

Singer G-Dragon's highball, created in collaboration with a liquor company, is expected to be exported to 20 countries, including China, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

<Park Sang-jae / CEO of Buruguru> "They're asking for Korean characters on the labels. It seems like the perfect time for Korean F&B to expand overseas."

It remains to be seen whether K-food exports will break the all-time record this year.