Korean food has been graded “C” among international cuisine, despite the government’s efforts to promote its cuisine worldwide, according to the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on Sunday.

Citing a survey of 593 people in five countries on 12 national foods, Korean food got only 73.2 points out of 100 in terms of taste, look, price and service. It ranked seventh in the ministry’s global food index, followed by Turkey, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Italian and Japanese dishes were the most popular among the surveyed, receiving As with 80.1 and 78.3 points, respectively, the ministry noted.

Meanwhile, Spanish, French, Chinese and Thai cuisine received Bs.

(hkp@heraldcorp.com)