Korean supermarkets bring culture to the capital
Korean supermarkets bring culture to the capital
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
For Korean food connoisseurs and gastronomes in the capital,
picking up their favorite kimchi (fermented vegetables) or other
delicacies need no longer cost them a trip to the country or to a
Korean restaurant.
Shelves filled with a wide variety of imported kimchi, at
least six different brands of roasted seaweed, crackers, candies
and bubble gums, and even meats and frozen food at affordable
prices can now be easily found in Jakarta.
The Mu Gung Hwa Supermarket on Jl. Senayan, South Jakarta, in
an area now widely known as 'Little Korea', was responsible in
introducing Korean culture, through food, to Indonesians.
Established in 1986, owner Kim Woo Jae initially intended to
supply homemade food to cater the needs of at least 35,000 Korean
expatriates.
"I was in the forestry business when I came to the country in
1977 but the business didn't work. Since I needed to survive, my
wife and I decided to open a Korean food shop as there was no
other supplier of it at the time," he told The Jakarta Post.
Kim started the business by selling homemade kimchi and
fermented bean to other Koreans. His business continued to grow,
enabling Kim to open a shop near his house. Four years later, the
Mu Gung Hwa building was established.
Although currently there are at least four similar business in
the city, Kim is not concerned about competition.
"One of our strengths is our direct relationship with
suppliers from Korea and not from local distributors like other
supermarkets that makes their goods more expensive," he said.
The New Seoul Supermarket in Jl. Melawai Raya, also in South
Jakarta, was built around seven years ago, according to its
manager Licson.
Licson, who is in his 40s, started the business with two
Korean friends who now acted as the supermarket's director and
commissioner.
According to Licson, the supermarket was visited by about 50
customers every day.
"Even though the number of customers has been declining since
1999 after the monetary crisis, we still have our share of loyal
customers, some of them are Japanese, Chinese and Indonesian," he
told the Post.
"The one thing that can keep a supermarket like this going is
location," he said.
But Kim has a different view of survival.
"Multiculturalism is something that Indonesians can benefit
from.
"My vision was to introduce Korea and its culture to the
Indonesian community, which would enrich their network and
experiences in dealing with people from different countries, an
important element in this era of globalization," he added. (005)