Kooksoondang Abroad
In March 2014, Kooksoondang, a company producing traditional Korean alcoholic beverages, opened a pub in Paris, the cultural center of Europe. The pub specializes in serving traditional Korean beverages like Bekseju. It is the first time that a Korean liquor company has opened a pub in an overseas market to run directly from the headquarters based in Korea. Named “Bekseju Village Paris branch,” the pub is situated on the Gobelins, the borderland of 13th and 5th districts of Paris.
Dishes to eat with drinks are chosen with special consideration for the taste of Europeans. For instance, for dishes to be served with drinks, Kooksoondang chose dishes that are known to be the most popular among Europeans. Bekseju Village Paris branch is a bistro-style restaurant that serves 5 traditional Korean items including kimchi stew, bulgogi, and bibimbap. In the evening, the restaurant turns into a tavern that sells the company’s flagship alcoholic beverages of Bekseju, rice wine, and Icing. It also offers a variety of traditional alcoholic beverages like bokbunja and other traditional fruit wines. For dishes to eat with drinks, it has bossam, steamed pork wrapped in greens; maekjeok, charcoal grilled pork; and pajeon, a grilled seafood pancake.
[[{"fid":"12519","view_mode":"body_image_right","fields":{"format":"body_image_right","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"The interior of the Bekseju Village pub in Paris.","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","attributes":{"alt":"The interior of the Bekseju Village pub in Paris.","height":365,"width":550,"class":"media-element file-body-image-right"},"link_text":null}]]Kooksoondang also made efforts to recreate the uniqueness and authenticity of the atmosphere of a traditional Korean pub. The interior decorations are modeled on Baekseju Village pubs currently operating in Korea. The pub has a menu written in Korean with French explanations. The design and interior was decorated in such a way as to give the impression of “being Korean.”
In a bid to maintain the authenticity of the tastes of Korean alcoholic beverages, Kooksoondang dispatched a chef with 8 years of experience under his belt. The chef serves his own cooked dishes.
In particular, Bekseju Village Paris branch sells alcohol made in the authentic traditional way. Since 2009, Kooksoondang began to engage in the enterprise of restoring traditional alcoholic drinks in a bid to propagate the excellence of Korean traditional drinks to the global community. At the Bekseju Village Paris branch, Kooksoondang serves Yihwaju. Yihwaju is the original version of today’s makkeoli, and was enjoyed by royals during the Chosun and Koryo dynasties. Yihwaju is so thick that one needs a spoon to enjoy it. Yihwaju is so unique in taste and texture that there is no alcohol in the world that is quite like it.
The period from its opening in March to the end of last year marked a impressive start, posting a revenue of €353,000 (US$406,733) from 15,000 customers.
The Kooksoondang spokesman said, “Kooksoondang is working steadily toward propagating the Korean food and drink culture abroad, and Bekseju Village Paris branch is especially focusing on the European community in spreading cultural information."