Memories of home, tastes of the past: North Korean defector chefs bring their food to Seoul

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Memories of home, tastes of the past: North Korean defector chefs bring their food to Seoul

Published: 14 May. 2025, 07:00

SEO JI-EUN
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Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Participants in “Tonghanabom,” a unification-themed cultural program hosted by South Korea’s Ministry of Unification, listen to an introduction before tasting dishes prepared by North Korean defector chef Li Myong-ae at a restaurant in Mapo District, western Seoul, on May 9. [MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION]

On a rainy Friday afternoon in Seoul, a cozy samgyeopsal (pork belly) restaurant near Hongik Univ. Station in Mapo District was filled with curious guests eager to try something rare: a full course of North Korean home cooking.

The journey to South Korea for Kim Won-jun, a 33-year-old chef who defected from the North as a child, was anything but easy.

North Korean defector chef Kim Won-jun greets participants at a restaurant in Mapo District, western Seoul, on May 9. [MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION]

Born into privilege in Chongjin in the North's North Hamgyong Province, his world crumbled when his father, a senior employee at a steel mill, was politically purged.

Kim fled across the Tumen River at the age of 11, endured life as a kotjebi (North Korean homeless child) and eventually arrived in South Korea via China in 2007.

Now, he runs Nangpung, a modest restaurant in southern Seoul specializing in comforting kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew).

Kim, who competed on Netflix's popular cooking show "Culinary Class Wars" (2024) with his assistant, was one of the two chefs who took part in the Ministry of Unification's cultural program featuring defectors. This year, the program aimed to bring everyday North Korean dishes to the table alongside heartfelt stories and memories from their homeland.

"Today, I’m sharing dishes commonly enjoyed in everyday life back home," Kim said, stepping forward with a warm smile.

Kim Won-jun, right, and North Korean human rights activist Han Song-mi prepare dububab (tofu rice) together at a restaurant in Mapo District, western Seoul, on May 9. [MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION]

A taste of the everyday

Kim's menu included corn soup, dububab (tofu rice), North Korean-style onmyeon (hot noodles) and puffed rice ice cream.

North Korean corn soup [SEO JI-EUN]

"The corn soup might sound fancy, but honestly, it’s just a traditional corn porridge we ate to stay warm during harsh winters," he explained.

"We'd gather around the stove, eating hot corn porridge, warming both our bodies and home," he added.

Dububab, Kim explained, is a popular street food in North Korea, like South Korea's tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes). Crispy tofu stuffed with rice is topped with a spicy red sauce, eaten by hand.

"Back in North Korea, you'd find this sold on the roadside or in markets, enjoyed by hungry travelers and workers who would often stop by on bicycles," said Han Song-mi, a 31-year-old human rights activist who assisted Kim in making dububab on this day.

North Korean dububab [MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION]

North Korean dububab [SEO JI-EUN]

“My aunt would make dububab, and I'd sell them at the jangmadang [local markets in North Korea],” Han said. "For me, it was like looking at a picture of something I couldn't have."

Kim presented this dish on "Culinary Class Wars.”

North Korean defector chef Kim Won-jun, left, prepares a dish as Paik Jong-won, a judge on Netflix’s "Culinary Class Wars" (2024), looks on. [KIM WON-JUN]

"After tasting it, the judge Paik Jong-won said, 'It’s good but too ordinary," Kim recalled. "But to me, this meant success […] conveying true North Korean authenticity."

He continues this philosophy by operating a restaurant specializing in kimchi jjigae.

Puffed rice ice cream [SEO JI-EUN]

Kim's final offering was a playful puffed rice ice cream.

“There was no refrigeration in North Korea, so we’d freeze water mixed with saccharin and food coloring — that was [the North Korean frozen treat]," he explained. "Ice cream was different — soft, creamy and made with milk. I thought puffed rice, which we usually had around holidays, would go well with it.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump share a dinner at the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi during their second summit on Feb. 27, 2019. [YONHAP]

From the summit table to Seoul's tables

Li Myong-ae, 54, another defector and expert in North Korean cuisine, presented dishes traditionally reserved for special occasions: Wonsan japchae (stir-fried noodles), Pyongyang onban (rice served in warm broth), dak-kkopjil samsek ssam (three-colored rolls made of chicken skin), pear-stuffed kimchi and sujeonggwa (cinnamon punch).

North Korean Wonsan japchae [MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION]

Instead of meat, her Wonsan japchae included seafood — reflecting the coastal identity of her hometown in North's Kangwon Province.

Pyongyang onban is a symbol of reconciliation, according to Li.

Li's path to South Korea was prompted by North Korea's drastic 2009 currency reform, devastating her restaurant.

Arriving in 2011, she now runs a lunch box catering service, continuing her culinary business.

North Korean Pyongyang onban [MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION]

"When men in North Korea argue, they say 'let’s eat onban' to resolve conflicts," she said. "It was also served to President Kim Dae-jung during his historic visit to Pyongyang, similar in symbolism to South Korea’s bibimbap."

The dak-kkopjil samsek ssam, making use of oft-discarded chicken skin as a wrapping, was Li's highlight. Chicken skin is greasy, but washing it three or four times with coarse sea salt, the fat all melts away in the steaming process.

North Korean dak-kkopjil samsek ssam [MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION]

The rolls, stuffed with either chicken or pork as well as carrots, garlic stems, egg and seaweed, balanced taste and nutrition beautifully.

For Li, dak-kkopjil samsek ssam is more than a recipe — it’s a dish tied to memory, effort and quiet pride.

"On Lunar New Year in North Korea, husbands’ workplaces distributed food for families," she recalled.

"Right after learning how to cook chicken skin when I was around 20 years old, my father brought home three chickens," she said. "I planned a surprise dish — my first time making dak-kkopjil samsek ssam — but when I woke up in the middle of the night, my mother had unknowingly boiled all the skins. I cried."

She eventually gathered more chicken skin and tried again. “I managed to prepare the dish for my family. They were amazed and proud.”

This special dish earned Li recognition in her first culinary competition in South Korea.

North Korean pear-stuffed kimchi [MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION]

Pear-stuffed kimchi, famously served at the 2019 summit in Hanoi between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump, was described as "the finest dish a chef can offer as a gift" by Li.

Participants take a photo before tasting dishes prepared by North Korean defector chefs at a restaurant in Mapo District, western Seoul, on May 9. [MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION]

Bridging differences through taste

As guests, randomly selected after answering a quiz about the event, finished their meals amidst laughter and conversation, there was a shared recognition — the dishes felt different, yet not distant.

"I've attended many events about North Korea, but this was by far the most meaningful — and delicious," said Angie Wanat, 27, a Polish human rights activist.

“I have always been interested in North Korea after studying it through my political science classes and discussion groups, but I never really had a chance to encounter North Korean food firsthand,” said Bae Eun-bin, 24.

“I assumed it would taste completely different — but as I ate, I realized the flavors weren’t unfamiliar at all," she added. "In fact, they were surprisingly comforting. I hope we can approach topics like unification in a similarly accessible, everyday way.”

"My grandmother’s stories about the Korean War changed my perception of North Koreans," her peer Lee Dong-hyeong added. "Today’s experience reinforced that — they’re not so different from us."

A restaurant in Mapo District, western Seoul, is decorated with demilitarized zone-sourced plants and barbed wire on May 9. [MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION]

In contrast to the gray streets outside, the restaurant was transformed into a scene of lush greenery, delicate lilies of the valley, moss-covered centerpieces intertwined with actual barbed wire secured directly from the demilitarized zone. Photographs of Mount Paektu, a place South Koreans can hardly visit, hung on the walls. Each detail carried the quiet symbolism of resilience and hope.

Kim Won-jun, right, and Han Song-mi [SEO JI-EUN]

Kim emphasized that North Korean food, while often seen as unfamiliar or exotic, actually preserves culinary traditions that have faded in the South.

"The division has made North Korea seem mysterious or exotic, but actually, North Korean food preserves traditions South Korea has moved beyond," Kim said. "When I talk with elderly South Koreans, we understand each other perfectly."

"When reunification happens, people will be amazed at the delicious food North Korea has," Li added with confidence and a touch of pride.

Li Myong-ae [MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION]

"In cooking competitions, some claim my dak-kkopjil samsek-ssam isn’t North Korean food. I had to get a North Korean cookbook to show them," she said. "It seemed like a country's prosperity affects people's perceptions."

"In cooking," she added with a smile," South Korea can't surpass North Korea. If our cuisines unify, we'll create the best dishes in the world.”