SEOUL: It was in 2006 when Kim Jin-woo saw an opportunity where few others in South Korea were looking: the global halal industry. Nearly two decades later, he stands at the forefront of the country’s growing K-halal scene, introducing new trends in lifestyle, fashion, and food.

The idea to enter a niche market in a country where the Muslim population is less than 0.2 percent came to Kim while he was living in Malaysia and understood the industry’s scale.

“Halal is not just about food. It is a lifestyle that includes fashion, beauty, culture and how we live every day. The magnitude of this economy is about $3 trillion and affects about 1.9 billion people’s lives,” he told Arab News.

“I saw Malaysia doing that and thought Korea could definitely engage in the halal economy too.”

It took years of trials and various initiatives — from modest fashion shows to advising Korean firms on halal certification and exports — before Kim’s efforts bore fruit in bridging Muslim consumers and Korean businesses closer together.

Returning to Korea in 2015, Kim faced skepticism. “Eight out of 10 people asked me why I was working on halal,” he recalled. “I (even) got phone calls from the police.” But he believed Korea, with its booming food, beauty, and cultural exports, could not afford to ignore the Muslim market.

He started linking Korean employers with a growing Muslim migrant community. In 2015, he partnered with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to host a halal expo, and later with the Seoul Business Agency to provide halal industry training for thousands of workers.

“The reason why the halal economy is not working here, and what makes my work difficult, is that 96 percent of Koreans do not even know the meaning of halal. So, there is a lot of effort put into raising awareness,” Kim said.

“Halal is about inclusion. Halal is a lifestyle. So, Koreans should be naturally exposed to it, and that is what I am trying to do.”

The CEO of Halal Korea and chair of the Overseas Korean Entrepreneurs’ Cooperative, he spearheaded last month the K-Halal Food Festa in Seoul’s Coex Magok Exhibition Hall.

Over 100 booths from across Korea and abroad drew not only industry buyers, but also students curious about halal cuisine, and families eager to try something new.

They left the venue with bags full of halal-certified ramen, sauces, and iconic K-beauty items.

The halal footprint is steadily increasing in South Korea. In the food sector alone, halal products accounted for 11.1 percent of the country’s total agri-food exports in 2023 — up 1.7 percentage points from 9.4 percent in 2022, according to data released by the Korea Food Research Institute.

In January this year, Seoul expanded its halal certification institutions from four to six, in a bid to support companies seeking entry into Muslim-majority markets.

“I think people now have opened their eyes a bit to the fact that halal is not only about food but that it is about the economy. So, that is a positive change,” Kim said, forecasting that in the years to come, South Korea’s halal exports will grow 10 percent year-on-year.

However, the expansion of the halal industry has also seen its fair share of backlash. In the late 2010s, talks were underway to build a halal food factory cluster in Iksan, a city 170 km south of Seoul, to supply both exports and domestic demand. Yet the plan has faced protests and still has not materialized.

Kim acknowledges the challenges but sees opportunity in sending Koreans to Muslim countries to learn and create joint ventures.

He foresees a Korea-Saudi Arabia halal cluster or a Korea-UAE halal cluster, “where Korean corporations foray there to produce the goods, and their local partners take care of the marketing and halal certifications.”

Another strategy would be to follow in the footsteps of Japan, which attracts about 6 to 7 million Muslim tourists each year.

In Korea, the number is roughly half that.

“If we create the right environment — halal food, halal cosmetics, halal fashion — we can make Korea not just a K-pop destination for teenagers, but also a welcoming place for Muslim families with real purchasing power,” Kim said.

“When more Muslims come to Korea, there will be an increase in demand for halal beauty products, fashion products ... So, naturally, the halal market will thrive.”