With Korean hotels, restaurants and games, a ‘little Korea’ emerges in Pune

Talegaon, home to automobile giant Hyundai, steel company Posco and food business Lotte, among others from South Korea, has brought a steady stream of Koreans to the city, whose cultural markers are gradually emerging amid the manufacturing hubbub.

At Hangang resort, where all rooms are booked for Hyundai staff, a ball lies on the grass beside a net stretched between two poles. “This is Jokgu, a Korean game where you hit the ball with your leg only as you pass it back and forth,” says Lee Jun Seo, whose family runs the resort. They are from Seoul and came to Pune around 10 years ago after hearing that there are more opportunities here as a lot of Korean factories were coming up.

Lee, who was 10 at the time, and his siblings found Indians to be warm and friendly.

Korean Lotte officials at the inauguration function of the Lotte factory (Havmor Icecream Private Limited) at Talegaon MIDC on February 6, 2025. (Express Photo/ Pavan Khengre)

“Korean people are more reserved. If you don’t know them, you are just like a stranger. For Indians, even if you’re a stranger, you must be treated like a friend. Now, when I visit Korea, I feel socialising with people there is difficult since Indians are friendlier,” he says.

Lee studied in a Pune school before going to Seoul for his culinary training.

“In the beginning, a lot of people didn’t even know what Korea was. If I said that I was Korean, they would ask ‘North or South?’. That was a common question. With K-pop, K-dramas being popular, a lot of people are aware of Korean culture. When I go out, people come up to me and the first thing they ask is if I am Korean, rather than, ‘Are you Chinese?’ like it was from 10 years ago,” he says.

There’s Korean food in the kitchens and lunch is staples like a spicy sweet chicken with red sauce and lots of carrots, potatoes and green onion. The restaurant has cabins, besides a common dining space, “because Korean people like their privacy”.

He has to keep the surroundings spotless “because Koreans are very strict about cleanliness”. A major highlight of the space is the gym, which includes pool tables and facilities for golf. In the garden, there are boxes of lettuce for the famous Korean salads, especially the sort that isn’t easily available in India.

A few minutes’ drive away is the SooMooNan hotel, a multi-storeyed guest house that is entirely for the Korean community.

On the ground floor are the clues – pool tables waiting for players. Sharad Gadsing, whose family owned the land, says that Korean professionals prefer to socialise among themselves, possibly because language is a barrier in engaging with their Maharashtrian neighbours.

Nevertheless the Gadsing family and a few Korean guests at the hotel have exchanged food—puran poli for them and Ramen from them.
“What they had asked for, and we provided, was a plot of land to grow salad vegetables,” he adds.

A hotel signboard by the road. (Express Photo)

Once again, there are lettuce and spring onions that the Korean staff at the guest house, mostly bachelors who stay around six months, cultivate and harvest. “They are here, digging and watering every evening after work,” says a local resident.

Restaurants are the most visible sign of a sizable Korean population in Talegaon. The Seoul Store is stocked with Ramyun, miso paste, frozen meats, sauces, oils and products for the kitchen, house and personal care. On weekends, there could be more than a hundred Korean clients buying their week’s supplies. There are also a number of eateries that bear signages in Korean, such as Eden Restaurant and Gung The Palace.

Shubham Gole, civil engineer at Hyundai Engineering and Construction India at Talegaon, works in a team of five Koreans and three Indians.

“We have friendly relations with same aged Korean persons but older Koreans are strict. Every Korean has a defense background so they are punctual with time and commitment. There is a gap between Koreans and Indians due to their soft skills and software proficiency,” he says, adding that 70 per cent of the engineers at the factory are Korean nationals.

Some of these engineers have previously worked at the Hyundai Chennai plant but prefer Pune because of the climate and infrastructure, said Chairman of the Korean Association in Pune Edgar Lee.

Lee also said that around 1,000 Korean nationals currently reside in Pune, spread across factories in areas like Talegaon, Chakan, and Ranjangaon, where the Korean electronics company LG Corporation has its factory.

Just like Lee Jun Seo, the children of Korean workers who have migrated with their families are enrolled in international schools like the Mahindra International School in Hinjewadi. Balewadi High Street and Phoenix Mall in Wakad are the go to spots for the senior engineers who reside in the Balewadi-Baner area, with foods like naan and chicken tandoori being major hits.