Free Rice
CJ Cheil Jedang passed out free mixes of boiled rice, vegetables, and seasoned soybean sauce, or bibimbap, to about 2,000 foreign tourists at Cheogwadae Sarangchae in Seoul’s Jongro-gu district on Oct. 2. The rice was Hetbahn Herb Rice, a Cheil Jedang brand.
The event was held as part of a Korean food PR project that the Korea Rice Foodstuffs Association has been conducting since the middle of Sept. The event was planned to give foreign tourists opportunities to try various rice-based foods, since rice is the center of Korean food. A different rice processing food company is participating each week.
CJ Cheil Jedang hopes that this event will give foreign tourists a friendlier image of Korean foods after trying Hetbahn, a brand of Korean instant rice.
The event especially focused on Chinese tourists to Cheongwadae Sarangchae who were visiting Korea during their national holiday. “It is amazing to see this product become boiled rice fresh off a cooker after staying for two minutes in a microwave oven,” a Chinese tourist said. “As Chinese people also live on rice, we need such a product. Where can I buy them?”
In addition to the Chinese tourists, tourists from various countries such as Japan and those in Southeast Asia flocked to the event venue, cleaning out the rice booth.
“We are planning to hold more events to introduce Hetbahn to tourists from various countries,” said Choi Dong-jae, the leader of the Hetbahn Team at CJ Cheil Jedang. “We will conduct a wide array of events to cultivate Hetbahn as an instant food brand that can represent Korean foods in the world market.”