SEOUL: It’s a crisp spring night in Seoul, and a lively stretch of Donhwamun-ro – historically known as the “king’s road” leading to Changdeokgung Palace – is awash in neon lights.
As revelers tuck into their Friday chimaek (fried chicken and beer), cheerful shouts and a sea of raised smartphones fill the air at the sight of French President Emmanuel Macron making his way through the table-lined streets with First Lady Brigitte Macron.
Their appearance at a nightspot known for its tasty fare and fine tipple was telling: Good food is never missing from the table when diplomacy is on the menu.
Just the night before, celebrity chef Son Jong-won had cooked up a fine welcome dinner for Macron’s state visit – the first by a French head of state to South Korea in 11 years – featuring toothsome cross-continental creations like a French roulade inspired by samgyetang, a Korean ginseng chicken soup.
The Michelin-starred chef rose to global fame as a fan favourite on the Netflix hit show Culinary Class Wars 2 and a recurring cast member of the popular culinary variety show, Please Take Care Of My Refrigerator (now showing as Chef & My Fridge on the same streaming service).
Of course, this isn’t the first time that the culinary world has collided with the Blue House and its esteemed guests.
In a memorable Chuseok (Korean mid-autumn harvest festival) special, Chef & My Fridge had also welcomed South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and his First Lady Kim Hea Kyung, where they conveyed their well wishes to the nation before sampling zany cook-off creations using the finest produce of the season.
Believe it or not, the concept of “culinary wars” is woven into the very fabric of Korean history – at least, as imagined by the MBC drama, Jewel In The Palace (Dae Jang Geum), where high-stakes battles for culinary perfection took place within the walls of the Joseon royal kitchen and beyond.
To experience such a historic setting and truly understand how food and power can intertwine, one need not travel through time: Just leave the bustling streets of Donhwamun-ro and head to Dae Jang Geum Park in Yongin, Gyeonggi province!
Stepping into Hallyu history
Featuring various architectural sets meticulously reconstructed from different historical periods, Dae Jang Geum Park is public broadcaster MBC’s largest historical drama set in South Korea.
While the park’s namesake was a key part of the Hallyu (Korean wave) that swept across Asia – Malaysia included – in the early 2000s, more recent K-drama fans would be thrilled to know that the megahit Bon Appetit, Your Majesty starring Lim Yoona and Lee Chae-min was also filmed at this sprawling open-air location.
Visitors are able to walk through ancient-styled settings including official residences and a prison yard, enjoy an interactive museum, relax at the herbal teahouse, buy fine traditional craft from the souvenir shop, and even sit on the king’s throne in a beautiful palace recreation.
And, of course, you can potter about part of the Jewel In The Palace kitchen that served as a backdrop for Jang Geum’s ascent from orphaned palace cook to the first female royal physician.
As part of the World Journalists Conference, which recently concluded in Seoul, 41 journalists from 30 countries got to experience all of that during the site visit.
During the visit, interpreter Cindy Yu noted the park’s dual appeal for pop culture pilgrims drawn to both Korea’s past and present: “K-pop megastar Suga of BTS (as his alias Agust D) also filmed the music video for Daechwita here!”.
The history-steeped setting serves as the perfect backdrop for the genre-bending hit, which blends traditional Korean military music of the same name, traditional instruments, trap beats, and rap.
Even if you don’t have a guide at hand, information boards pepper the park at appropriate intervals, to ensure you know exactly what you’re looking at.
To make the most of their journey to Dae Jang Geum Park, which is a 1.5-hour drive from central Seoul, park visitors can also camp on the grounds to fully immerse themselves in the surroundings, which also boasts well-researched settings from the Samguk and Goryeo periods.
Back to the K-future
Back in cosmopolitan Seoul, where smouldering idols compete for your attention across larger-than-life billboards, the Confucian-value driven drama that captivated Asia in its heyday still holds sway.
With Lee Young-ae – the actress that brought Jang Geum to life – making a rare and celebrated appearance in a recent episode of Chef & My Fridge, it is clear that the ever-growing popularity of K-food culture both at home and abroad still owes much to its predecessors.
This cultural momentum is palpable even in the city’s high-end commercial spaces, and still keeps a steady thrum at its traditional heart.
At the Shinsegae luxury department store’s food hall, rising star chef Park Eun-young – another standout from the same culinary battlegrounds as Son – now draws crowds with her own specialty fried chicken pop-up.
Meanwhile, over at Gwangjang Market, eager tourists still flock to the Netflix-famous Gohyang Kalguksu stall to slurp up the chewy knife-cut noodles perfected by artisan Cho Yoon-sun.
The fun is not limited to central Seoul, however.
Just a short journey south, a TikTok-famous lifestyle destination shows that the K-food phenomenon can be as much about savvy space-making as it is about what’s on the plate.
Speaking to the press, Starfield Suwon general manager Youngsun Won said the Suwon branch has been shaped around a younger, trend-driven audience: “Built around a dynamic, experience-led concept, you’ll find a strong mix of trend-forward select shops, rotating F&B pop-ups, and immersive, hands-on experiences throughout the mall.”
This includes a Culinary Class Wars pop-up taking place in the mall’s gastronomic hub, Bites Space, until early June 2026, where visitors can enjoy signature dishes from six of the hit TV series’ alumni, including ‘Culinary Scientist’ Shin Dong-min and ‘Iron Arm’ Chef Park Ju-seong.
Like their colleagues Son and Park, these contemporary tastemakers are the latest chapters in a culinary narrative that has spanned generations.
From the hubbub of the king’s road to a film set imbued with history, South Korea’s soft power has evolved beyond a fleeting wave to earn its permanent place on the global menu.
By masterfully honouring its heritage even as it embraces the palli palli (hurry hurry) culture of its modern pace, the Land of the Morning Calm has invited the world to take a seat at its table and share in its time-tested delights.
Standing among the towering heights of Starfield Library Suwon, you get the sense that South Korea’s triumphant present is a story that was centuries in the making – one far from its final course.
And if the global appetite for K-culture in all its forms is any indication, the world will be coming back for seconds.
The Journalists Association of Korea, headed by chairman Park Jong-hyun, organised the WJC 2026 with the support of Korea’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Ministry, Foreign Ministry, and the Korea Press Foundation.
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