President Lee, first lady Kim appear on hit cooking show to celebrate Chuseok holiday

President Lee Jae Myung appeared on a hit cooking show broadcast on Monday in celebration of this year’s Chuseok holiday, Korea’s harvest festival. [JTBC]

 
President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung appeared on JTBC’s hit cooking show “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator” on Monday in celebration of Chuseok, Korea's harvest holiday. It was President Lee’s first appearance on an entertainment program since taking office. 
 
During the broadcast, the presidential couple promoted Korean cuisine.
 
“When I think of Chuseok, the first thing that comes to mind is abundance,” he said, adding, “I hope all our citizens have a joyful holiday.”
 

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“Our culture is an important national asset. While K-pop and dramas are significant, the real core is food. Once people get used to a certain taste, it doesn’t easily change, which means it has sustainability and great industrial potential.”
 
For the show’s cooking theme, Lee asked the chefs to prepare dishes under the topics “K-foods to share with the world” and “K-ingredients to share with the world." The latter included dishes prepared with siraegi, or dried radish greens. 
 
When asked about his favorite dish made by the first lady, President Lee chose mackerel braised with dried radish greens.
 
“There are countless dishes I love, but number one would be mackerel braised with siraegi,” he said. “Siraegi is a nostalgic food for me — delicious, rich in vitamins, and a healthy dish. With a ‘Made in Korea’ label, I believe it has great export potential.”
 
He also introduced various Korean ingredients such as napa cabbage, deodeok (bellflower roots), soybeans and shiitake mushrooms.
 
Kim recalled making kimbap with children during the first couple's recent visit to New York.
 
“In the past, Asian food abroad was represented by ‘sushi,’ but now people confidently say ‘kimbap,’” she said.
 
When President Lee mentioned that he recently watched the Netflix hit film “K-Pop Demon Hunters” on his son’s recommendation, one of the show's guests noted, “There’s a scene where they eat kimbap, and that’s actually the moment that touches Korean Americans the most.”
 
Meanwhile, the broadcast — initially scheduled for the previous day — was postponed by one day at the request of the presidential office. President Lee’s last appearance on an entertainment show was in 2017, when he appeared on SBS’s “Same Bed, Different Dreams 2: You Are My Destiny” as the mayor of Seongnam.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]