By item, chicken specialty restaurants ranked first among overseas outlets of domestic dining corporations, with bakeries in second. Traditional Korean cuisine placed third. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced these findings in the "2025 survey on overseas expansion of dining corporations" on the 6th.
Last year, domestic dining corporations operated 4,644 outlets in 56 countries worldwide. By sector, chicken specialty restaurants topped the list with 1,809, accounting for 39.0% of all overseas outlets. Bakeries ranked second with 1,182, or 25.5%, while Korean restaurants, including galbi, grilled dishes, stews, and hot pots, stood at 550, or just 11.8%.
They were followed by fast-food restaurants (286), bars (233), coffee shops (211), other foreign restaurants (190), kimbap and other simple eateries (160), snack bars (144), and ice cream and shaved ice shops (79).
By country, the United States accounted for 23.8% of all overseas outlets, the most. It was followed by China (17.9%), Vietnam (13.7%), the Philippines (6.3%), and Thailand (5.0%). In particular, K-dining outlets in the United States more than doubled over five years, from 528 in 2020 to 1,106 last year, emerging as the largest market. China, by contrast, fell from 1,368 to 830 over the same period.
Industry officials say the expansion of overseas outlets is clearly concentrated in certain countries and sectors. Chicken, baked goods, and fast food have relatively simple cooking processes and are easier to standardize, reducing the burden of local staff proficiency and ingredient sourcing, whereas Korean restaurants face heavier operating burdens because their menus and cooking processes are complex.
The most cited reason for downsizing or closing overseas outlets was deteriorating profitability due to rising prices. Other factors included reduced sales from external conditions such as COVID-19, problems securing local staff and ingredients, and the end of contracts or disputes with partner companies.
An official at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said, "The overseas expansion of domestic dining corporations is shifting from quantitative growth to a phase that prioritizes profitability and stability," and added, "We will strengthen effective support, including linking with food material exports."