Korean food has been introduced to Penang only quite recently and is still a novelty to many. It has not gained as much popularity as Japanese cuisine, but this is slowly changing with the opening of several new Korean restaurants.

The emergence of Korean restaurants in Penang is also partly due to the rising count of Korean business expatriates residing on the island.

Korean food and cooking methods are quite similar to that of Japan since both countries have such strong historical and cultural links. The main difference lies in the greater use of spices and sugar in Korean cooking. Most Korean cooking is quite simple. While Koreans charcoal grill or broil such meals as bulgogi or bulgalbi, everyday cooking includes boiling, steaming, stir-frying and deep or shallow frying.

In Korean cooking, emphasis is also placed on the fine slicing and shredding of the food. This is quite evident in many of the well-known Korean dishes.

The seven basic ingredients of Korean food are garlic, ginger, black pepper, spring onions, soy sauce, sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds. Other popular ingredients found in Korean food are bamboo shoots, bean sauce of paste, dried mushrooms, peanut oil and vinegar.

Chopsticks and spoons are used for Korean meals. Food is served and eaten from bowls, not plates. Everything is put on the table at once - rice, soup, fish, chicken, beef, hot sauces, sweet and sour sauces and kimchi of various kinds.

In Korea, rice is served at every meal and usually accompanied by soup, meat, fish, vegetables and of course, Kim Chi.

Korea has an abundance of fish and other seafood, and fish is often combined in surprising ways with meat or poultry. Seaweed is often used as a relish.

Beef is the most popular meat in Korea. Pork and chicken are also used, but never mutton. Beef is usually thinly-sliced and cut into bite-sized pieces before it is cooked.

Kim Chi is one of Korea's national dishes, with many versions as there are cooks and almost always accompanies every meal. Kim Chi is made from pickled white Chinese cabbage.

Bulgogi is one of the most famous Korean dishes in Penang, where lean beef is cut into very thin slices, marinated in a special sweet sauce and then grilled briefly over glowing charcoals. It is normally served with white rice, accompanied by the bulgogi sauce.