Pulmuone Foods announced on July 25th that it hosted the ‘2025 Barilla Pasta Championship APAC’ Korea finals at its Seoul headquarters on July 24th, where Chef Lee Joong-chul was selected as Korea’s representative for the international competition.
The ‘Barilla Pasta Championship APAC’ is an annual event organized by Italy’s leading pasta brand, Barilla, to discover innovative pasta dishes by chefs across the Asia-Pacific region and to promote pasta culture. Now in its second year, the event involves domestic preliminaries managed by Pulmuone since last year, supporting the selection of Korea’s top chef and finalist entry.
The Korean finals featured six chefs competing fiercely. Participants included Je-gi Phil (Libna), Jae-hyun Park (Shonino), Gi-hyun Eom (Boccalino), Dong-chan Lee (Gumong), Joong-chul Lee (Monocle Dosan), and In-sung Hwang (Osteria Sotti). All finalists received products worth approximately 3 million KRW of Barilla pasta for three months as part of the competition support.
Chef Lee Joong-chul won the top prize with his ‘Spaghetti Con La Bottarga,’ a pasta dish utilizing caviar. His dish was praised for its exceptional texture and harmony between pasta and sauce, earning him the title of Korea’s representative chef.
He will now advance to the Asia-Pacific grand finale held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 24th, representing Korea along with finalists from Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and three other countries. The winner of the international stage will receive a €3,000 prize, a culinary tour of Italy by Barilla, and a personalized chef jacket.
Yoon Myung-rang, Head of Pulmuone Foods’ Global Marketing Division, stated, “Pasta is a beloved dish in Korea that offers endless creative possibilities. Through this competition, we aim to further promote pasta culture and expand its presence in the local market.”
Pulmuone, Korea’s leading refrigerated noodle company, has been in an exclusive partnership with Barilla since 2019, importing and selling pasta and sauces. In 2023, they launched the ‘Artisan’ premium brand, co-developed with Barilla, to target markets in Singapore, Thailand, and other parts of Asia.
