Busan is good

Specialty Coffee in Busan: Bid to Attract World Barista Championship to Busan

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Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don paid a visit to Momos Coffee (Owner Lee Hyun-ki, 20, Osige-ro, Geumjeong-gu, Busan) to meet Jeon Joo-yeon, the 2019 World Barista Champion on January 14, 2020.

Mayor Oh expressed his appreciation to Jeon Joo-yeon and Lee Hyun-ki for promoting Busan to the world and talked about the coffee industry in Busan with them.

Jeon Joo-yeon became the first Korean to win the World Barista Championship (WBC) in 2019.

She works at Momos Coffee, a specialty coffee company, as a barista and trainer.

Lee Hyun-ki, owner of MOMOS, one of Korea’s largest independent cafés, explained, “Busan is a city where the world barista champion, Jeon Joo-yeon resides in, but also over 90 percent of imported coffee beans to Korea comes through Busan Port. Busan has a high potential as a specialty coffee market. Busan already got the attention of the world as a robust coffee-consuming market.” In addition, Jeon Joo-yeon also said, “Busan is in a desirable location to host the world barista championship in Asia. So I hope that the city shows more interest in it.”

The growing coffee industry could form links with the MICE industry, as well as attract younger generations to Busan. Mayor Oh, said, “The city government will look for ways to grow the coffee industry in Busan, as well as host the World Barista Championship in Busan.