Inside a convenience store in the centre of the South Korean capital Seoul, alongside a range of other chilled products sits a somewhat standard takeaway pasta dish.

But the creamy prawn pasta with mushrooms is bizarrely named after a regional city in southern Queensland.

Toowoomba Pasta is named after Australia’s second largest inland city and is a wildly popular convenience meal in South Korea.

Australia Korea Foundation board member Peter Lee said Australia “does not often figure into the Korean imagination”.

“Much like how Korea doesn’t usually figure into Australian … social discourse most days of the week,” Dr Lee said.

Pasta origins

Toowoomba Pasta was introduced to South Korea via the Australian-themed US diner chain Outback Steakhouse.

While the dish is no longer available on the US Outback Steakhouse menu, it’s still widely available across Korea.

Local pasta stores have it on their menu and many convenience stores offer it as a takeaway option.

Thousands of “how to make Toowoomba Pasta” tutorial videos exist online.

“Outback Steakhouse is wildly popular in Korea, there are franchises everywhere,” Dr Lee said.

“In Korea, Outback Steakhouse is associated with Australia — it’s marketed as an Australian thing, even though it’s based out of Florida.”

Association brings opportunities

This association with Australia provides an opportunity for other brands and businesses to leverage off, according to Dr Lee.

Australia already has a strong export trade with South Korea and there is a growing defence relationship between the two countries.

The country is Australia’s fourth-largest trading partner, with the partnership valued at $68.7 billion in 2021, mostly underpinned by the energy and resources sector, as well as meat and produce.

“I think there is a big opportunity there for Aussie businesses to showcase truly authentic Australian cuisine … foods, fashions and culture,” Dr Lee said.

Ross Gregory is the chairman of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AusCham), a peak body aimed at fostering the Australia-Korea business community.

Mr Gregory agreed there was more scope for Australian food and clothing brands to expand to South Korea.

“If you find the right partner here, your product can do really well,” he said.

“Particularly food, we should be doing a lot more [exports].”

What are the opportunities?

AusCham executive director Rowan Petz said Bundaberg soft drinks was an example of an Australian brand performing well in the country.

“[Korea is] one of the strongest export markets they have,” Mr Petz said.

“They’re doing phenomenally, it’s in every sort of up market café. 

He said Australian beef could also be found on the menu at “most restaurants”.

“That’s something we’re quite proud of,” he said.

Mr Gregory said wine, gin and whiskey were emerging markets, and there was space for Australian companies to enter Korea’s wide-ranging beauty and skincare sector.

“There is a renaissance in wine occurring [in Korea],” he said.

“The Chileans had the first [Free Trade Agreement] and they had a head start.

High-quality products wanted

Mr Petz said the demand was for high-quality, premium Australian products.

“It has to be in that top tier,” he said.

“Korea is quite a sophisticated market in many aspects, they’re high-spend consumers and they want premium products.

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“There are huge opportunities here … we need to see more Australians come over here and see the opportunities, as it’s a great market.”

Tobi Loftus travelled to South Korea as a guest of the Walkley Foundation, the Korea Press Foundation and the Australia Korea Foundation.