First Lady Promotes Korean Food via CNN

First lady Kim Yoon-ok talks with a CNN anchor while cooking Korean food during an interview at Cheong Wa Dae, Friday. / Korea Times

South Korea's first lady Kim Yoon-ok promoted her country's traditional cuisine, or "hansik," in a special interview broadcast worldwide Monday by U.S. cable news network CNN.

The interview, recorded at the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae Friday, was the first part of a special series by CNN, "Eye on South Korea."

During the interview, Kim was seen preparing the popular Korean dish "japchae," seasoned vermicelli served with meat and vegetables.

"The taste of Korean food comes from the effort that goes into it and the flavor created by hand," Kim was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency. "We believe affection originates from mother's hands when she's cooking."

The interview was Kim's first appearance on a foreign television network since her husband Lee Myung-bak took office early last year.

Kim said cooking for her husband and promoting Korean food as an international cuisine was part of her efforts to assist the president, who "does a lot of work outside the country."

Her work also includes sending food to countries suffering from shortages, as well as introducing easy-to-make recipes, as a way of repaying the international support her country received when it was poor, she said.

"That is why now I would like to help other countries," she said.