Traditional Korean ginseng chicken soup, or Samgyetang, has the chance to become a big hit with people in the UAE.<br />It's the first time for a country in the Middle East to allow imports of the halal-processed chicken soup, …and it's expected to serve as a bridgehead for expanding exports to the region.<br />Park Se-young has more. <br />Carefully prepared chicken is stuffed with ingredients like glutinous rice, ginseng and garlic.<br />The chicken is then sealed with broth, sterilized and cooked …before they are sent to the packing room to be shipped.<br />This is the manufacturing process for Samgyetang, traditional Korean ginseng chicken soup that's often consumed as a healthy food on hot summer days in Korea.<br />After having gained popularity in China and Japan, 12-hundred packs of halal-processed Samgyetang were shipped off to the United Arab Emirates late last week.<br />The UAE is the first Islamic country in the Middle East to allow such imports.<br />Halal food refers to products that are prepared in concordance with Muslim dietary laws.<br />According to Korea's ministry of agriculture, it has reached an agreement with the UAE on quarantine standards regarding Samgyetang and beef.<br />The ministry added the Samgyetang maker was certified halal by both the Japanese and the UAE halal certification bodies, …a costly and timely process.<br />"In addition to meeting quality standards for Samgyetang in Korea, we passed strict food safety standards required by the Middle East for exports."<br />In Malaysia, …sales of Korean instant noodles or ramyeon have been on the rise, …boosted by the popularity of K-pop and Korean dramas.<br />The most popular choice is halal-certified Daebak instant noodles, …developed by a joint venture between Korea's Shinsegae Food and Malaysia's Mamee Double-Decker.<br />An average of 300-thousand packs have been sold every month since last year's launch, …and the first batch of a new flavor sold out in just two weeks earlier this month.<br />The market share of Korean products in the Malaysian instant noodles market jumped from less than one percent in 2014 to about 12 percent in 2018.<br />Last year alone, Korean companies sold 20 million U.S. dollars worth of instant noodles in Malaysia.<br />With the increase in local demand, Malaysia has risen as a major importer of Korean instant noodles …along with China, the U.S., Japan and Taiwan.<br />Park Se-young, Arirang News. <br />
