KOREA: MUSLIM RESTAURANTS GUIDEBOOK PUBLISHED
Seoul, 28 Safar 1436/21 December 2014 (MINA) – The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) has issued a guidebook on halal restaurants and other restaurants for Muslim tourists visiting here.
Written in English, the book titled “Muslim Friendly Restaurants in Korea” introduces 118 restaurants across the country. Those highlighted sell not only Islamic food, but also Korean food that is acceptable to their religion.
The “Restaurant Guide for Muslim Visitors” is a revised version of the 2012 publication which introduces halal restaurants or alternative restaurants that Muslim tourists can visit during their stay in Korea, Halal Focus.Net quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.
The revised version includes evaluation of the restaurants’ service, quality of food and taste based on research and visit. The guidebook also includes information on nearby tourist sites that are accessible from the restaurants.
It categorized the restaurants into five groups: Halal Certified, which are certified by the Korea Muslim Federation; Self-Certified, which use halal ingredients and are self-certified by Muslim owners; Muslim Friendly, which are run by Muslims and offer some halal menus while selling liquor; Muslim Welcome, which are Korean restaurants that offer vegetarian menus or pork-free menus such as seafood or temple cuisine; and Pork-Free, which do not offer pork but have other non-halal meat.
The book also grouped 36 famous Korean menus into four categories: vegetables only; seafood-based food; vegetables or seafood-based food; and meat-based food but no pork ? to provide Muslim visitors with more chance to try Korean cuisine.
“Halal food is the most important factor when Muslims decide on travel destinations,” a KTO official said. “We believe the categorization, the first of its kind here, will play a big role in attracting Muslim tourists to Korea.”
Last year, 624,000 people from Islamic countries visited Korea, accounting for 5.1 percent of total visitors.(T/R05/R04)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
