McDonald’s Korea’s CEO Kim Ki-won speaks at a news conference at a hotel in central Seoul on July 5, 2023, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the company’s establishment in South Korea, in this photo provided by the company.
SEOUL, July 5 (Korea Bizwire) — McDonald’s Korea said Wednesday it will expand the number of its stores in South Korea to 500 by 2030 as it unveiled its new burger for this year.
The South Korean unit of the U.S. fast-food giant will open eight new drive-thru stores this year, 10 more ordinary stores in 2025 and 30 more in 2030 as part of its push to operate 500 stores in South Korea by 2030, CEO Kim Ki-won said.
The company currently operates around 400 stores across the country.
“We will focus on strengthening all contact points with customers and enhancing convenience to provide a better experience to customers,” Kim said in a news conference meant to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the company’s establishment.
McDonald’s Korea has become a company with annual sales of 1 trillion won (US$766.9 million), with daily customers of 400,000, a dramatic increase from its annual sales of 1.7 billion won and daily visitors of 3,000 in 1988, when it opened its first store in Seoul.
Last year, McDonald’s Korea’s sales, including those of franchises, hit a record high of 1.17 trillion won, exceeding the 1 trillion-won mark for the second consecutive year.
This year, the company generated 623 billion won in sales in the first half, posting an on-year increase of 10 percent.
McDonald’s Korea unveiled its new “Taste of Korea” item for 2023, the Jindo Green Onion Cream Croquette Burger, which uses green onions grown on Jin Island, about 350 kilometers southwest of Seoul, as an ingredient.
The new burger will be available starting Thursday.
“Taste of Korea” is a project with the purpose of launching locally inspired products.
In 2021, McDonald’s launched a new burger using garlic from the southeastern county of Changnyeong, and in 2022, it released a burger using pork from the southwestern county of Boseong, where pigs are fed with the region’s popular green tea.
Kim also said McDonald’s Korea will change all of its packaging materials to eco-friendly materials that can be recycled or reused by 2025.
(Yonhap)
