A dash of gold, a taste of peace: All the food that flavored the Korea-U.S. summit in Gyeongju

Korean President Lee Jae Myung, center right, listens to U.S. President Donald Trump during a dinner event for APEC leaders at a hotel in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Oct. 29, following their bilateral summit. [JOITN PRESS CORPS]

 
GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang — President Lee Jae Myung hosted a dinner banquet for U.S. President Donald Trump and APEC leaders Wednesday, an occasion to discuss trade deals and Pyongyang while dining on Korea's finest culinary offerings infused with a diplomatic flair.  
 
The preparation for the summit dinner at a five-star hotel in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, was overseen by famed Korean American chef Edward Lee, a finalist on Netflix's hit cooking competition program, "Culinary Class Wars" (2024). A Midas touch may be needed to bring about the ideal blend of taste and meaning to a meal, but Chef Lee is no stranger to executing summit dinners, having served as a guest chef for the White House during the Korea-U.S. state dinner in 2023.  
 
Summit luncheons and dinners are more than just an occasion for the host country to showcase its gastronomic delights, but are often an arbiter of the success of the leaders' talks, where subtler political messages are exchanged and personal friendships are solidified.  
 

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President Lee hosted both a working lunch and a special presidential dinner for heads of state and government in honor of Trump, who was on a two-day state visit to Korea. The dinner event was attended by six other leaders of regional partners attending this week's APEC summit — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Vietnamese President Luong Cuong.  
 
The Western-style banquet featured fusion cuisine blending Korean regional ingredients with flavors of the leaders' countries to symbolize deep friendship and harmony.  
 

A photo of the menu of the special presidential dinner for heads of state and government on the margins of the APEC summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang is seen in a photo provided by the presidential office on Oct. 29. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

The menu included mandu (dumpings) filled with ogol (black bone) chicken sourced from Gangwon's Yeongwol County in porcini consommé flavored with truffle oil, a representative Western flavor, the presidential office said, embodying the "wish for harmony." The ogol chicken, known for being black from bone to feathers, is a traditional Korean nutritional ingredient served in palaces for the health of Korean kings.  
 
Also on the menu was poached lobster tail, in a nod to the United States and Canada, paired with a bisque sauce and pappa al pomodoro, a Tuscan tomato bread soup, the presidential office said. Other dishes included hanwoo (Korean beef) sirloin from host city Gyeongju, served with sweet pumpkin purée, Namsan pine mushrooms and soy sauce beef jus.
 
Dessert was Goheung yuzu sorbet, Danseoksan barley mousse and dark chocolate croustillant.  
 

Dumplings filled with ogol (black bone) chicken sourced from Gangwon’s Yeongwol County in porcini consomme with truffle [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

Hanwoo (Korean beef) sirloin from host city Gyeongju, served with sweet pumpkin puree, Namsan pine mushrooms and soy sauce beef jus [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

Paired with the meal was Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay from the Virginia-based Trump Winery, run by Eric Trump, the U.S. president's son. President Donald Trump, who doesn't drink alcohol, was served Diet Coke.
 
President Trump at the beginning of the dinner declared that Seoul and Washington finalized a trade deal that was at an impasse for weeks as the two sides struggled to iron out the details of Korea's $350 billion investment package for lower tariffs.  
 
"We reached a deal," Trump said responding to a reporter's question, with details later confirmed by the presidential office.  
 

Korean President Lee Jae Myung, center right, poses for a commemorative photo during a special dinner for APEC leaders in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Oct. 29. From left, Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, U.S. President Donald Trump, Lee, Vietnam's President Luong Cuong, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. [AP/YONHAP]

During the two-hour banquet, the APEC leaders discussed key international issues, including the North Korean situation, transnational crimes such as online scams and drug trafficking, the presidential office said in a statement.  
 
In his welcoming remarks, Lee stressed the importance of solidarity and cooperation among allied countries in a time of increasingly complex global crises. Trump in turn expressed his gratitude for Seoul's exceptional hospitality, calling an ancient crown replica gift an "honor" and "magnificent piece of art."
 
Gold was the color of the summit, with Lee gifting Trump a replica of a golden crown from the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C.-A.D. 935) excavated from the Cheonmachong tomb in Gyeongju. Trump was also presented with a golden medal as he became the first U.S. president to be awarded the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, South Korea's highest national order.  
 
Lee wore a gold tie with Hunminjeongeum, a manuscript to hangul written by Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) court scholars in 1446, symbolizing his desire to promote Korea's unique written heritage. Gold, also a color favored by Trump, highlighted that the APEC summit is hosted in Gyeongju, capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla Kingdom, known as the "Land of Gold."  
 
Earlier in the day, Lee and Trump, joined by their key trade, foreign affairs and security officials, held a working luncheon at Gyeongju National Museum featuring dishes with the theme of: "Korean flavors meet American spirit, celebrating the enduring friendship through taste."  
 

U.S. beef short ribs with side dishes and Gyeongju rice served during the luncheon between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump at the Gyeongju National Museum in North Gyeongsang on Oct. 29. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

The luncheon menu featured coyly named dishes such as a salad with shrimp, scallops and abalone served with Korean autumnal herbs and tossed in a Thousand Island dressing called "Reminiscing the Success Story of New York" in a nod to Trump's hometown.  
 
It was followed by a "Korean Platter of Sincerity with U.S. Beef," with braised short ribs made with U.S. beef, accompanied by chestnuts, mushrooms, radishes and carrots. The dish was served with steamed rice freshly harvested from Gyeongju and spinach soybean paste soup.  
 
Mini beef patties with ketchup were also served on the side. Trump is known to have a penchant for fast food, favoring McDonald's and KFC, paired with ketchup.
 
The meal wrapped with "Peacemaker's Dessert," comprised of a golden citrus, gold-adorned brownie and seasonal fruits, with "peace" spelled out on the dish. It was served with buckwheat tea.
 
In their first summit in Washington in August, Lee had asked Trump to play the role of "peacemaker" on the Korean Peninsula, saying he would in turn be a "pacemaker."  
 
While Trump is notoriously a picky eater, a presidential official present during the luncheon meeting said that the U.S. leader president said he enjoyed the food.  
 
The official noted that the "Peacemaker" dessert was the real showstopper of the luncheon, saying he spotted several U.S. officials taking photos of the gold-sprinkled treat.  
 

This photo provided by the Korean presidential office shows the "peacemaker" dessert served during the luncheon between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump at the Gyeongju National Museum in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Oct. 29. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

In his opening remarks at the lunch, Trump said he wasn't able to "work out timing" to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this time around, but signaled he would continue playing a brokering role as requested by Lee in their first summit.  
 
Lee had expressed his regret that Kim hadn't been able to fully accept Trump's sincerity in his multiple offers to meet.  
 
Trump noted that the Korean Peninsula is still "officially at war" as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice agreement, but said he "will see what we can do to get that all straightened out."
 
Trump told Lee that he plans to "take care" of a "lingering cloud that's over your head," insinuating the possibly of a silver lining to the Korean Peninsula situation. 

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]