▲ People line up to enter Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.'s first outlet in Asia before its opening in Gangnam, southern Seoul, on Sept. 2, 2026, in this photo provided by the U.S. restaurant chain. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- U.S. restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. opened its first outlet in Asia in Seoul on Wednesday as it seeks to expand into Asian markets.

Chipotle has set up a joint venture, S&C Restaurants Holdings Pte., with an affiliate of South Korean food and beverage company Sangmidang Holdings (SMDH) to operate its outlets in South Korea, the company said in a press release.

Chipotle chose South Korea as its first Asian market, citing the country's growing interest in global food trends and well-established culture of personalized consumption, the release said.

The fast casual restaurant chain plans to open two more outlets in South Korea within this year before expanding into Singapore in the first half of next year.

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