Kuala lumpur: South Korea is utilizing the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism Exhibition (MAHA) 2026 as a testing ground for its 'NEXT K-food' products, aiming to gather direct feedback from Malaysian consumers before deciding on broader market introductions.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation (aT) Kuala Lumpur Centre's Managing Director, Chang Chung Ho, emphasized that the South Korean pavilion, themed 'Discover Your NEXT K-food', is focusing on emerging products rather than established favorites.
"We could focus on our current best-selling products, but we are using this opportunity as a test bed for new products of the future. That is why we call it the 'NEXT K-food' project," Chang said in an exclusive interview during the MAHA 2026 event.
South Korea is one of the 14 countries participating in the International Country Pavilion under MAHA Go Global, now in its second edition. Chang highlighted that MAHA provides a different audience compared to conventional food trade exhibitions, which typically target importers, distributors, and business-to-business participants.
"At MAHA, we can listen directly to ordinary Malaysian consumers. We collect their feedback, analyze it, and inform the exporters about what consumers like, what they do not like, and which aspects of the product or packaging should be changed," Chang explained.
The South Korean pavilion showcased products from five companies, with items certified by a South Korean halal body recognized by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM). Products being tested include pure grape and pear juices with no added sugar, a berry-flavored yogurt drink, a black-bean beverage, propolis honey, and a rice-based croissant-style snack.
On the topic of knowledge transfer, Chang mentioned that aT had previously brought one of South Korea's earliest government-accredited traditional kimchi masters to Kuala Lumpur to instruct around 100 participants in the traditional preparation method.
"We bring Korean experts to Malaysia more than twice a year, depending on government funding. We also take Malaysian food buyers and distributors to South Korea to meet Korean exporters," Chang added.