Korea’s ‘Soop-Food’ Festival Blends Culinary Tradition with Carbon-Neutral Future

(Visitors at the event look over chestnuts to purchase. Photo courtesy of the Chestnut Mandatory Checkoff Management Committee)

SEOUL – The Korea Forest Service and the Korea Forestry Promotion Institute successfully concluded the "2026 K-Forest Food Festival" at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul from May 13 to 14. The event highlighted the rising global value of "Soop-Food" (meaning "Forest Food" in Korean)—a premium brand encompassing Korea's pristine, wild-harvested forest products.

For Koreans, forest products are a nostalgic comfort food deeply rooted in seasonal traditions. Memories of gathering aromatic spring greens like dureop (angelica tree shoots) or sharing warm, paper bags of roasted chestnuts (gunbam) during harsh winters represent the warm, collective identity of the Korean home. Today, these ancient staples are being rebranded as "Soop-Food" to promote a sustainable lifestyle that benefits personal health, local communities, and the planet.

(Visitors sample cooked chestnuts at the event. Photo courtesy of the Chestnut Mandatory Checkoff Management Committee)

Grown naturally without artificial pesticides, Soop-Food is gaining immense popularity among wellness-conscious consumers. Rich in antioxidants and essential vitamins, Korean forest products—ranging from wild ginseng and mushrooms to high-quality chestnuts and jujubes—are celebrated as natural remedies that boost immunity and vitality.

Beyond personal health, choosing Soop-Food is a vital lifeline for Korea’s rural mountain villages. Currently, over 90% of the country’s 468 designated forest communities face extreme depopulation risks due to aging demographics. By driving urban consumer demand toward these premium forest goods, the Soop-Food initiative stabilizes income for generational foresters and creates new agricultural and tourism opportunities for younger entrepreneurs.

From an environmental perspective, Soop-Food represents a highly sustainable, carbon-neutral model of food production. Unlike intensive traditional farming that requires large-scale land clearing, forest products are cultivated in harmony with existing woodland ecosystems.

Notably for the forestry sector, major tree crops such as Korean chestnut and jujube trees act as powerful carbon sinks. They absorb significant amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide while simultaneously yielding high-nutrient crops year after year.

The Gwanghwamun festival featured 22 premier forestry enterprises showcasing over 80 varieties of fresh produce and innovative processed items, such as wild raspberry jams and deodeok (bonnet bellflower) scones. A major highlight was a live culinary demonstration by Master Chef Cho Hee-sook, the "Godmother of Korean Cuisine," who showcased modern, fine-dining interpretations of wild forest greens.

(Kim Kyeong-nam, a chestnut farmer from Buyeo-gun, smiles brightly as he offers chestnuts for visitors to sample. Photo courtesy of the Chestnut Mandatory Checkoff Management Committee)

While the physical event has concluded, the momentum continues online. The Korea Forest Service has partnered with major e-commerce platforms—including Naver Shopping, Korea Post Shopping, and Market Kurly—to host a virtual "Soop-Food Market," offering freshly harvested forest products at up to a 15% discount.

"Soop-Food is more than just a meal; it is a conscious choice to revitalize our rural communities and protect the earth," stated a spokesperson for the Korea Forest Service. Moving forward, the agency plans to continuous expand distribution infrastructure and product development, turning Korea's ancient forest heritage into a global standard for sustainable dining.