Gimbap and japchae? First lady chases K-food trend in New York's Koreatown
Published: 25 Sep. 2025, 05:03
Updated: 25 Sep. 2025, 19:01
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- SARAH KIM
- [email protected]
![First lady Kim Hea Kyung, right, visits a side dish shop in Koreatown in New York on Sept. 23. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/25/3efee648-58cb-43cb-9abb-b27a4ac42a40.jpg)
First lady Kim Hea Kyung, right, visits a side dish shop in Koreatown in New York on Sept. 23. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
NEW YORK — What are the most popular side dishes at a 25-year-old shop in New York's bustling Koreatown?
Surprisingly, the ones that stick true to traditional Korean flavors, the owner of the banchan (side dishes) shop told first lady Kim Hea Kyung Tuesday.
During a five-day trip to New York, Kim visited shops in Koreatown and met with Korean American merchants to discuss the boom in Korean food and culture, deputy presidential spokesperson Jeon Eun-soo said in a statement Wednesday.
Kim's first stop was at a banchan shop that has been a staple in Koreatown for over two decades.
The shop's best-selling dishes are gimbap (seaweed rice roll) and japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), the banchan shop owner said.
"We have more local customers than Korean ones," the shop owner said. "However, the dishes that preserve their original Korean flavors, rather than adjusting flavors to suit American tastes, are most popular."
"I think gimbap has become especially popular because of the movie scene where characters eat whole rolls of gimbap," said Kim, who is known for her love of home-cooked meals.
She referred to animated Netflix film "KPop Demon Hunters" which featured main character Rumi eating uncut gimbap, creating a viral trend.
![First lady Kim Hea Kyung, lefts, makes a purchase at a side dish shop in Koreatown in New York on Sept. 23. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/25/cac80cb6-a09c-4328-85ee-727ada5ef9e3.jpg)
First lady Kim Hea Kyung, lefts, makes a purchase at a side dish shop in Koreatown in New York on Sept. 23. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
"Food is a major part of culture, and K-food is gaining a lot of attention these days," Kim said. "Once people get accustomed to a certain cuisine, it's hard to break away from it."
She thanked the shop owner for "helping spread Korea's important food culture so widely."
Kim also expressed gratitude for the shop owner's efforts to showcase Korean culture by displaying traditional items, such as mother-of-pearl dining tables, small wooden tables and rice bowls that have been passed down through generations.
![First lady Kim Hea Kyung, left, buys food at a grocery store in Koreatown in New York on Sept. 23. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/25/b4675cde-f7d3-4f8c-8676-ce45bd1941e8.jpg)
First lady Kim Hea Kyung, left, buys food at a grocery store in Koreatown in New York on Sept. 23. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Next, Kim visited a Korean grocery store, where the manager also told her that Korean side dishes are the shop's best-selling items.
While browsing in the food section, Kim asked, "Do gimbap ingredients sell well?"
Classic gimbap ingredients could include a range of vegetables, such as carrots and spinach, imitation crab sticks, ham, pickled radish, braised burdock root, eggs and fishcakes. But the fun is to mix and match the ingredients to fit one's own taste.
"With the recent gimbap craze, gimbap ingredients are selling very well," the manager replied.
Kim purchased instant tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) at the grocery store.
![First lady Kim Hea Kyung looks at Kpop Demon Hunters products at a bookstore in Koreatown in New York on Sept. 23. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/25/b04bd196-1b34-4b27-b293-cca6ad29088a.jpg)
First lady Kim Hea Kyung looks at Kpop Demon Hunters products at a bookstore in Koreatown in New York on Sept. 23. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
The first lady also visited a Koreatown bookstore and asked the shop owner if he had felt the K-pop boom.
"I've been running this bookstore for 20 years, and I've been feeling the popularity of Hallyu firsthand these days," he replied.
He said with the rise in popularity of Korean culture due to "KPop Demon Hunters" and author Han Kang winning the Nobel Prize in literature, "sales of books for learning hangul and Korean language proficiency test preparation materials have exploded."
Kim also greeted the Korean residents gathered in the area.
Since Monday, Kim joined President Lee Myung on a trip to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, meet with investors and speak with political and opinion leaders.
BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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