Abstract:
In the era of globalization, the usage of food as the tool of negotiation has
become a new term in the world of diplomacy. The practice is called
gastrodiplomacy. South Korea is one of countries that aspire to increase the country's
reputation by promoting its food and food culture throughout the world. The United
States has become the target for the promotion of Korean food and its food culture. In
order to promote Korean food, particularly in the United States, the South Korean
government formed a non-profit organization under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food
and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) called the Korean Food Promotion Institute (KFPI) in
2010 to play a role in promoting and making South Korean food and food culture to
be global.
This thesis analyzes the contributions of KFPI within the period of 2011 to
2017 in promoting food and food culture, which are used as South Korean diplomatic
tools in the United States. With the results, the public interest of the United States
towards Korean food increased to 88.4 percent in 2017, and the amount of South
Korean restaurants reached to a total of 2,247 units. The method used for the research
is qualitative method with books, journals, and articles, as a secondary source, and
also government publications from South Korean government officials, and KFPI as
the main sources. This thesis will provide detailed information regarding the
contributions of gastrodiplomacy by the South Korean government through KFPI.
