President Yoon Visits Jagalchi Market: "Wise People Will Not Be Swayed by Rumors" (Comprehensive)

President Yoon Suk-yeol said on the 27th regarding the controversy over the safety of Korean seafood caused by the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, "Our wise people will not be swayed by rumors."

On the same day, during a dinner with fishermen and market officials at a restaurant inside Busan Jagalchi Market, President Yoon responded this way when a merchant expressed frustration, saying, "I am very frustrated by the contaminated water rumors," according to a written briefing by Lee Do-woon, spokesperson for the Presidential Office.

President Yoon also said, "I should promote the food at Jagalchi Market today," and demonstrated an impromptu mukbang by making spicy sea eel bibimbap, the spokesperson added. He instructed Cho Seung-hwan, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, who attended the dinner, to extend the traditional market seafood discount sales, which were previously applied only during holidays, to be available year-round until the end of the year to promote seafood consumption.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is catching an eel with his own hands at Jagalchi Market in Jung-gu, Busan on the 27th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 70th anniversary of the armistice agreement, President Yoon and his wife Kim Geon-hee visited the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan and then went to Jagalchi Market, Busan’s representative traditional market. This visit is interpreted as an effort to soothe public sentiment amid rising anxiety over the upcoming discharge of contaminated water from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

The presidential couple toured Jagalchi Market in the afternoon and greeted merchants. As President Yoon and his wife stepped out of their vehicle, market merchants and citizens chanted "Yoon Suk-yeol, Yoon Suk-yeol." President Yoon shook hands with citizens from the market entrance and responded to requests for photos from merchants.

They then entered the market and visited a sashimi restaurant, looking at shrimp and abalone. The First Lady asked about the names of fish at a store across the aisle. When a merchant showed her sea urchins and shrimp and said, "Madam, please pick one," she touched the sea urchins and shrimp.

When President Yoon asked, "Is this eel or anago (conger eel)? How much does this weigh?" the merchant said it was about 500g and scooped up the conger eel with a net. President Yoon tried to catch the conger eel with his bare hands but it slipped, so he used a handkerchief to hold it and said, "It’s really slippery."

When the merchant said squid was in season, President Yoon showed his gourmet side, saying, "You can slice this into sashimi, chop it finely and wrap it to eat, or grill it separately after slicing." Afterwards, his aides purchased squid and other seafood from the store.

First Lady Kim also took out "Busan Is Ready" keyrings, which she helped produce, and handed them out to citizens.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.