President Lee Jae-myung cited boosting K-food exports as the reason for appearing on JTBC's entertainment program "Please Take Care of My Refrigerator (Naengbuhae)." The broadcast airs at 10 p.m. on the 6th.
In the Naengbuhae teaser video released that day, Lee said, "K-pop and drama are important, but the core of culture is food," adding, "We should export a lot of K-food."
It has been eight years since Lee appeared on an entertainment program, after SBS's "Same Bed, Different Dreams 2" in 2017 when he was Seongnam mayor. It is his first broadcast appearance since taking office as president. After being introduced as a guest, Lee also laughed and said, "I feel very awkward."
First lady Kim Hea-kyung, who appeared together, asked the chefs to "make food that can invite foreigners to our table."
Tasting a dish by TV personality Kim Poong, Lee said, "I am quite hesitant," but after eating the food, he looked surprised and said, "It's different from how it looks." Smiling, Kim said, "Why is this tasty?"
The presidential couple also imitated chef Choi Hyun-seok's signature move of "sprinkling salt." The video also captured Lee making a "finger heart" after tasting the food.
The Naengbuhae broadcast featuring the presidential couple airs at 10 p.m. that day. Originally, the Naengbuhae episode featuring the presidential couple was scheduled to air the previous day.
However, the presidential office asked to postpone the broadcast in light of the fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) in Daejeon. The opposition, including the People Power Party, is ramping up attacks, saying the presidential couple filmed Naengbuhae while government systems were paralyzed by the NIRS fire.
Baek Seung-a, floor spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, said in a written briefing that day, "This broadcast is not just simple entertainment, but part of cultural diplomacy to promote K-food and K-content to the world ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Gyeongju in Nov."