President Lee Agrees with 'Chicken Belt'... Where Will It Be Established? Industry on Alert

[Financial News] As the possibility of adding a 'Chicken Belt' to the government's 'K-Gourmet Belt' project increases, the expectations of the chicken industry are rising. President Lee Jae-myung also positively evaluates the promotion of the Chicken Belt project, which is expected to accelerate the project's progress. 
According to the Hansik Promotion Institute under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on the 14th, the institute is promoting a roadmap to establish 30 K-Gourmet Belts by theme by 2032, starting with the 'Jang Belt' in 2024.
The K-Gourmet Belt project is a project that combines K-Food and K-Tourism by discovering gourmet tourism programs and nurturing gourmet interpreters using gourmet resources such as local specialty ingredients, food masters, and local foods. It started as the New Growth 4.0 strategy in 2022, and ahead of the UNESCO registration of 'Korean Jang Making Culture' in 2024, the 'K-Gourmet Jang Belt' project was promoted as a pilot project. This year, following the Jang Belt, the development of Kimchi Belt, Traditional Liquor Belt, and Ginseng Belt is underway.
Minister Song Mi-ryeong proposed at the Cabinet meeting on the 9th, "There are Jang Belt in Sunchang and Damyang, Kimchi Belt in Gwangju, and Traditional Liquor Belt in Andong," and suggested, "Let's also consider the Chicken Belt (Chicken Road) that foreigners like recently." President Lee Jae-myung also showed a positive response, saying, "Try promoting it together with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism."  
The Hansik Promotion Institute's K-Gourmet Belt strategy is largely divided into △Fermentation Culture △Traditional Hansik △Seasonal Table △Trendy Hansik. Through the Trendy Hansik category, it is possible to create 30 belts such as chicken, barbecue, coffee, and bakery. For example, in the case of the Jang Belt, you can experience both K-Gourmet and tourism with a schedule of 1st day in Damyang and 2nd day in Sunchang. △Gisundo Food Master (Soy Sauce) △Kang Soon-ok Food Master (Gochujang) △Samdari Naedama Village △Onggi Experience Center △Juknokwon △Gangcheonsan, etc., combine experiences and tourism.
The Chicken Belt is expected to be quickly established through government support and collaboration with the private chicken industry. A Kyochon Chicken representative said, "We are already developing tourism products that combine chicken cooking experiences with the Hansik Promotion Institute, Korea Tourism Organization, Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, as well as large companies like Lotte." A BBQ representative said, "The first BBQ store was in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi-do, and we are promoting projects such as creating a Chicken Culture Street with Yeoncheon-gun and registering it in the Gyeonggi-do tourism culture program," showing a positive response to the Chicken Belt establishment.
Lee Gyu-min, chairman of the Hansik Promotion Institute, said, "By combining K-Gourmet and tourism, such as the Gimbap Festival in Gimcheon and the Chimaek Festival in Daegu, we can achieve balanced regional development and revitalize the local economy," and added, "There is a Chimaek Festival in California, USA, and through the Chicken Belt, we can attract tourists from various countries to Korea."
hwlee@fnnews.com Lee Hwan-joo Reporter