Models pose with McDonald's Korea's new Taste of Korea burger and muffin featuring hot peppers grown in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, at a McDonald's store in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of McDonald's Korea

McDonald's Korea has selected hot peppers grown in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, as the main ingredient for this year's Taste of Korea burger, according to the regional office of the global fast-food franchise, Wednesday.

"Taste of Korea" is the company's annual initiative to support the country's agricultural sectors by utilizing locally grown natural produce to develop new burgers or sides.

The Jinju Pepper Cream Cheese Burger features cream cheese filled with chopped hot peppers, spread between bacon and a tomato slice. The burger is among the company's three new Taste of Korea items. The other two are the Jinju Pepper Cream Cheese Muffin and Yeongdong Shine Muscat McFizz, which incorporates shine muscats grown in the coastal Yeongdong region of Gangwon Province.

Farmers in Jinju who grow hot peppers appeared in a video commercial for the new items to promote them.

"This year, we've chosen hot peppers, one of the most widely used food ingredients on Korean dining tables," Yang Hyoung-keun, director of the company's public affairs lead, said during a press conference held at a McDonald's outlet in central Seoul.

"By featuring Jinju pepper farmers in the commercial, we tried to highlight our bond with the country's local farmers."

McDonald's Korea has been developing Taste of Korea menu items since 2021. Last year, the company introduced a burger featuring green onion from Jindo, South Jeolla Province, which made headlines for its significant increase in sales.

Other previous specials under the project used garlic from Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang, hallabong from Jeju Island, pears from Naju, South Jeolla, and green tea leaves-fed pork from Boseong, South Jeolla, as theme ingredients.

The project has so far used about 750 tons of locally sourced natural produce and sold over 20 million items since its launch.

"Apart from Taste of Korea, we also use 16,000 tons of locally sourced natural produce each year to supply 60 percent of their ingredients," Yang said.