Korea–Malaysia Halal Excellence Consortium 2026 Officially Launch

Establishing a JAKIM-Based Halal Certification and Export Framework for Korean Companies

An official bilateral halal cooperation platform jointly involving Korea and Malaysia, the Korea–Malaysia Halal Excellence Consortium 2026 (the “Consortium”), has been formally launched.

The Consortium brings together leading Malaysian halal institutions, including Global Haltech and Iktisad Global, both official strategic partners of the Malaysia International Halal Academy (MIHA). On the Korean side, the Consortium is officially hosted and organised by Team8 Partners, led by CEO Sunny Kim.

In recent years, a growing number of Korean companies—particularly in K-Food and K-Beauty—have sought entry into Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern markets. However, in practice, many have faced repeated challenges, including misunderstandings of certification requirements, reliance on unofficial brokers, inaccurate information, certification failures, and customs clearance risks.

Despite the fact that JAKIM halal certification is widely recognised as one of the most trusted standards in the global halal market, Korea has lacked an official, practical, and execution-focused gateway through which companies could properly understand and strategically apply JAKIM standards.

The Consortium was established to address this structural gap. Moving beyond simple information sharing or exchanges, its core objective is to pre-diagnose Korean companies’ products, ingredients, manufacturing processes, and documentation against JAKIM standards, and to design the fastest and most accurate certification and market-entry pathways.

For this initiative, Team8 Partners conducted prior consultations with MIHA’s official strategic partner institutions in Malaysia and has completed formal participation confirmations and agreement procedures with all participating organisations. This marks the first case in which key institutions within Malaysia’s halal ecosystem have entered into an official partnership premised on the export structures of Korean companies.

Sunny Kim, CEO of Team8 Partners, stated:

“JAKIM halal is not merely a religious symbol; it is an internationally recognised compliance standard that has already been validated in global markets. This Consortium is designed to help Korean companies accurately assess where their products stand, without costly trial and error, and to identify the most realistic and effective routes forward.”

She added:

“From the perspective of Korean companies, we will focus on creating practical pathways that minimise time and cost, while ensuring that certification leads directly to real export and distribution opportunities.”

First Official Conference to Be Held in Seoul in 2026

The Consortium’s first official programme will be the Malaysia–Korea Halal Excellence Conference 2026 (working title), scheduled to take place in Seoul in the second quarter of 2026.

Senior delegations from Malaysia’s key halal institutions will attend in person to deliver practice-oriented sessions, including:

• The practical operation of JAKIM certification structures and international recognition systems

• Technology and ingredient verification processes based on Halal Science

• Pre-screening and audit guidelines for Korean companies

• Post-certification export and distribution structures for ASEAN and Middle Eastern markets

• Introductions to Malaysian government and public-sector support programmes

Following the conference, the Consortium plans to progressively establish a mid- to long-term halal export pipeline, encompassing education, pre-diagnosis, certification, OEM linkage, distribution, and participation in MIHAS.

Comments from Malaysian Partner Institutions

Global Haltech

“Based on our expertise in halal science and ISO 17025-level laboratory capabilities, Global Haltech provides integrated solutions that systematically strengthen corporate compliance structures. This Consortium represents a meaningful starting point for Korean companies to apply JAKIM standards more accurately and efficiently.”

Iktisad Global

“Through this Consortium, Iktisad is honoured to contribute to the establishment of stable, standards-based halal certification and trade structures within the Korean market.”

In line with the Consortium’s launch, Team8 Partners will begin a series of pre-briefings and phased registration processes for Korean food, beauty, OEM companies, as well as relevant government and affiliated institutions.

The official conference participation and registration page will be released in February 2026.

About Team8 Partners

Team8 Partners is a project management and consultancy firm specialising in halal certification, export strategy, and branding, operating across Korea and Malaysia. The firm provides integrated, end-to-end support for Korean companies’ global expansion, including consulting, pre-diagnosis, certification strategy, education, local distribution, branding, and market scaling.