Environmentalism, Organic Foods Explode in South Korea
The success of organic foods was never a sure bet in South Korea. Since the Korean word for pesticides literally means “plant medicines” many Koreans have had a difficult time seeing what’s wrong with using them. But today’s ultra health conscious Korean is becoming more environmentally savvy too. Today, words like “blossom” and “bloom” are too mild to describe the exploding popularity of organic foods and environmentalism in South Korea.
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When I arrived in South Korea in 2007, I didn’t expect to find any organic labels here at all. So on my first morning in Seoul, I was surprised to walk into the ritzy Cafe des Verts, which serves organic and fair trade coffees. Arriving in the small coastal city of Gangneung, I found a small organic grocery store ten minutes by foot from my house. Around the corner from this store is one of the largest supermarket chains in Korea, the retail face of the Korean Agricultural Farmer’s Cooperative, called Hanaro Mart.
Over the last year, Hanaro Mart has increased its offering of organic foods dramatically. Now, shoppers can buy virtually all produce organic. It seems like every week the supermarket is introducing new organic breads, produce, or niche foods like organic probiotic yogurt drinks.
As Hanaro Mart kept increasing its organic selection, the popularity of environmental awareness became more apparent elsewhere too. Nearby this particular Hanaro Mart in Gangneung, high-rise apartment buildings have painted giant LOHAS emblems across their faces. Neighborhood restaurants have highlighted healthy “wellbeing” foods on their menus and shop windows. To the west of the city, wind turbines crest the mountain tops. And the spread of organics and environmental awareness is not just a local phenomenon.
Across South Korea, anti-smoking campaigns have taken off. Solar panels have sprung up on rooftops. Parents have joined in and the Korean EcoMom was born. All beauty stores now seem to feature organic products. Popular t-shirt prints now include environmental slogans and images. Even Emart, the Korean equivalent of WalMart, has continued to stock not a half bad assortment of organics.
This week, in a pièce de résistance marking the recent boom in environmentalism in Gangneung, South Korea, a brand new organic store has opened. Called Nature House, the new organic foods store is one more sign of South Korea’s growing interest in organic foods and environmentalism.
Here’s a video from last year’s Earth Day festival. Since this time, the environmental movement in Korea has continued to grow.
Image Credit: Josephers via Flickr, under a Creative Commons license; Korean organic label.
