First lady pledges to promote Korean cuisine in New York K-food event

▲ First lady Kim Hea Kyung teaches children during a cooking class held at The Korea Society in New York on Sept. 24, 2025. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

▲ First lady Kim Hea Kyung (L) shakes hands with singer-songwriter Lee So-eun during a roundtable with young artists based in New York during their meeting at the Korean Cultural Center New York on Sept. 25, 2025. (Yonhap)

first lady-Korean food

First lady pledges to promote Korean cuisine in New York K-food event

By Kim Eun-jung

NEW YORK, Sept. 25 (Yonhap) -- First lady Kim Hea Kyung has underscored her commitment to promoting Korean cuisine around the world during a meeting with renowned chefs and other food experts in New York, expressing her pleasure to see first hand the growing popularity of Korean food in the United States.

Kim met them during a roundtable at the Korean Cultural Center on Wednesday, noting the popularity of kimbap, Korean seaweed rice rolls, which grew after it was featured in the Netflix animated film "K-Pop Demon Hunters," according to vice presidential spokesperson Jeon Eun-soo.

She was in New York, a global cultural hub, to accompany President Lee Jae Myung during the U.N. General Assembly this week.

"Having looked around Koreatown in New York, I actually felt the popularity of Korean food. Ten years ago, bringing a lunch box of kimbap to a U.S. school was something to be mocked, but now, it's hugely popular," Kim was quoted as saying.

"I will actively take into account the opinions you've shared today, and make efforts to promote Korean food around the world," she added.

Having authored a Korean food recipe book in 2018, Kim stressed that Korean cuisine is not just food but a culture that embodies the life and spirit of the Korean people. She also expressed gratitude to experts who work to spread Korean food globally.

Participants at the event included Chef Hooni Kim of Danji; Chef Shin Chang-ho of Joo-Ok; Chef Shim Sung-chul of Kochi and Dondon Korean BBQ; and Chef Kim Ho-young of Jua.

Following the roundtable, she attended a cooking class at the Korea Society, where she taught children how to make kimbap, the office said.

On Thursday, Kim held a meeting with young Korean cultural and artistic figures based in the city at the Korea Cultural Center New York as part of her outreach to the culture community.

Among them were singer-songwriter and lawyer Lee So-eun, visual artist Yoon Da-in and soprano Park Hye-sang, who performs at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

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