Using the Power of K-Pop to Sell Korean Food in Europe
So here's a smart move from South Korea's agricultural trade playbook: if you want young Europeans to get excited about Korean food, why not bring in one of K-pop's hottest girl groups to make the case? That's exactly what the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation β better known as aT β has just done, and the results are already turning heads across the continent.
On May 16, aT, working alongside the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, officially launched a major new-media marketing campaign aimed at expanding the K-food consumer base in Europe. The centerpiece of this campaign is a promotional video featuring NMIXX (μλ―Ήμ€), the six-member girl group signed under JYP Entertainment known for their genre-blending sound and growing international fanbase.
From the Concert Stage to the Kitchen Counter
What makes this campaign genuinely interesting is its setup. Rather than a polished, overly produced advertisement, the video follows the NMIXX members during their European tour β specifically in Frankfurt, Germany β as they hunt down local ingredients and whip up Korean-inspired dishes on the road. It's the kind of authentic, behind-the-scenes content that resonates deeply with younger audiences who are increasingly skeptical of traditional advertising.
And the recipes themselves? They're creative, to say the least. The members cooked up a mix of familiar Korean street food favorites with a European twist, including:
- A fusion snack set combining tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and hot dogs
- A dessert spread featuring hotteok (sweet Korean pancakes) and injeolmi almond treats
- A beauty-focused drink made using konjac jelly, tapping into the wellness trend popular among European youth
What's really interesting is how the campaign was tailored specifically for European sensibilities. Given the significantly higher proportion of vegetarians and vegans in markets like Germany and France compared to South Korea, the video also highlighted plant-friendly options such as vegan dumplings and kimchi jeon (kimchi pancakes). It's a subtle but smart move β lowering the barrier to entry for European consumers who might otherwise assume Korean food isn't for them.
The video was published on NMIXX's official YouTube channel, where it quickly generated strong engagement from fans across Europe who were already following the group's tour.
More Than Just a Video β There's a Goody Bag Involved
aT's Frankfurt office isn't stopping at views and likes, though. The campaign includes an online watch-and-verify event, where local consumers who watch the video and submit proof of viewing are entered into a draw to win a so-called "goodie bag" filled with the exact Korean agricultural food products featured in the video. The idea is to create a pipeline β from content consumption to actual product experience, and eventually to repeat purchasing. It's a well-thought-out strategy that bridges the gap between fan culture and consumer behavior.
The Numbers Behind the Push
This campaign doesn't exist in a vacuum. South Korean agricultural and food exports to Europe have been on a steady upward trajectory, and aT is clearly looking to accelerate that momentum.
- In 2025, South Korea's agri-food exports to Europe reached approximately 773 million US dollars
- From January to May of this year, export figures rose 9 percent year-on-year, reaching 404 million dollars
Those are meaningful numbers, and they reflect a broader global appetite for Korean food that has been building steadily over the past decade β fueled in no small part by the worldwide spread of Korean pop culture, from dramas to music to beauty trends.
The Strategy: Reach the MZ Generation First
aT's long-term thinking here is worth unpacking. The organization has explicitly stated that it plans to double down on marketing strategies targeting what Koreans call the "MZ generation" β roughly equivalent to Millennials and Gen Z combined. This is the demographic that grew up with YouTube, streaming platforms, and social media, and crucially, the demographic most likely to have discovered Korean culture through K-pop or K-dramas before they ever tried Korean food.
"K-pop is the global content that allows us to communicate most effectively with Europe's young future consumers," said Jeon Gi-chan, aT's Director of Export Food. "Through this promotional initiative, we aim to create a cultural environment where European consumers can experience Korean agricultural food products more familiarly, and we will continue to expand the consumer base for K-food going forward."
That framing β K-pop as a communication bridge, not just a marketing gimmick β reflects a more sophisticated understanding of how soft power actually works. Fans of NMIXX aren't just passive viewers; they're engaged communities who discuss, share, and recreate content. When those fans see their favorite artists genuinely enjoying Korean food on camera, it carries a very different kind of weight than a traditional commercial.
Why This Matters for the Global K-Food Story
South Korea has been investing heavily in exporting not just its products but its entire food culture for years now. Korean instant noodles, snacks, sauces, and frozen foods have quietly made their way onto supermarket shelves across Europe and North America β but aT and the government clearly believe there's still a much larger market to unlock, particularly among younger consumers who may be familiar with K-pop but haven't yet made the leap to Korean cuisine.
The NMIXX campaign represents a maturation of that strategy. It's no longer just about putting Korean products on shelves and hoping people notice. It's about creating cultural moments β content that people actively want to watch β and embedding Korean food within those moments in a way that feels natural and aspirational rather than forced.
Whether European fans follow their favorite group's lead into the kitchen remains to be seen, but if those goodie bag draw entries are any indication, the interest is already there. And with export numbers continuing to climb, aT is clearly betting that K-pop's reach can do for Korean food what it has already done for Korean beauty products and entertainment: turn curiosity into a genuine lifestyle habit.
This article is based on reports from Daily, Greened, Moneytoday.
