Ahn Yu-seong, the 16th culinary master of South Korea, visited Muan International Airport, the site of the Jeju Air accident, and served 'Naju beef soup' to those handling the cleanup. Online, messages of gratitude were posted from those who enjoyed the meal prepared by Ahn.
According to an online community on the 7th, a review was posted about Ahn’s prepared Naju beef soup. The author, referred to as A, noted, “Master Ahn Yu-seong came to the site and personally distributed beef soup during lunch,” and added, “It was tough with heavy rain and cold from the morning, but the meal was delicious.” A also mentioned, “There is no photo of the beef soup, only pictures of the side dishes,” and shared images of the accompaniments provided with the soup.
The lunchbox container was filled with side dishes including spicy stir-fried pork, head meat, namul, and kimchi. It also included white rice and packed rice balls. The kimchi provided at the time was reportedly freshly made cabbage, leaf mustard, and cubed radish kimchi, prepared by skilled craftsmen accompanying Ahn. A also posted a photo of Ahn, verifying being present at the site.
After seeing the photos of the side dishes, netizens commented, “The side dishes are really abundant,” “The food is filled with care,” and “The side dishes are like a main course.” Netizens also left comments for Ahn saying, “Thankful and respectful,” “It’s not an easy task, it’s amazing,” and “Touching.”
Previously, on the 5th, Ahn visited Muan International Airport to provide 500 servings of Naju beef soup and Namdo cuisine that Ahn personally prepared. It was reported that Ahn served the meal at the Jeju Air accident site, located 1–2 km away from the main terminal where the bereaved families were staying. It was shared that many of the firefighters, police officers, and soldiers managing the site found it difficult to return to the terminal for meals and often relied on cup noodles and gimbap, prompting Ahn to prepare a meal for them.
This was the third time Ahn visited the accident site to serve food. On the day following the accident, Ahn prepared 200 servings of gimbap and delivered them to the bereaved families on the 30th of last month. On the 1st, Ahn prepared 1,000 servings of abalone porridge and grilled short ribs to bring to Muan Airport. Along with Ahn, chefs Choi Ji-hyeong, Bang Ki-su, Lim Hee-won, Bae Kyung-jun, and Song Ha-seulam, who appeared in the Netflix cooking competition show 'Black and White Chef: The Battle of Culinary Rank,' participated in the volunteer effort.
Ahn remarked, “All we can do for the field agents working in hard conditions is to provide a warm meal,” and added, “A firefighter mentioned that it felt like eating a warm meal prepared by their mother for the first time, which was touching.” Ahn continued, “I will continue to go anywhere with many chefs and offer healing through food, anywhere help is needed.”