South Korean general foods company Daesang said Thursday that it is branching out into the Middle Eastern market, which serves a population of about 4 billion, with popular food products such as halal-certified kimchi and tofu.

Daesang said it has teamed up with 21 stores in Qatar, including Carrefour, Lulu and Spar. In Iraq its products are being distributed through Carrefour and Majidi Mall, with plans underway to expand its presence in the region to countries including Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Some of the food products Daesang recently launched in the Middle East include kimchi, tofu, rice cakes -- also known as tteok -- and burdock root.

By Yim Hyun-su (hyunsu@heraldcorp.com)