Jang Geunsuk and Monk Seonjae Star in Lunar New Year Special 'Bapsang-ui Balgyeon' Highlighting Korean Food Culture

First Outcome of the Ministry's 'Korean Style Content' Project
Korean Food Culture Told Through Jang, Temple Cuisine, and Seasonal Seafood
Airing on MBC from February 10 to 24

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 10th that, together with the Korea Craft and Design Cultural Promotion Agency, it produced the three-part documentary on Korean food culture "Bapsang-ui Balgyeon" and will air it as a Seollal special program.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 10th that, together with the Korea Craft and Design Cultural Promotion Agency, it produced the three-part documentary on Korean food culture "Bapsang-ui Balgyeon" and will air it as a Seollal special program. Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

"Bapsang-ui Balgyeon" is the first outcome of the "Korean Charm Content" project promoted by the Ministry, and is part of an initiative to produce and broadcast video content that conveys the value and meaning of traditional culture. This year, reflecting the heightened global interest in Korean food, the theme was set as "Korean food culture."

The program goes beyond introducing recipes and ingredients to cover Korean food culture as a whole, highlighting the care and wisdom embodied in the dining table and the philosophy of our ancestors toward food. It unpacks the characteristics of Korean cuisine through the key phrases "adding time and devotion (+), subtracting what is harmful to the body (-), and a zero-waste food culture (0)."

"Bapsang-ui Balgyeon" will air on Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) at 9:00 p.m. starting with its first episode today, and will be broadcast every Tuesday until the 24th for three weeks. Actor Jang Keunsuk will host the show, and culinary experts including Temple Food Master Monk Seonjae, Yoon Namno, Fabri, and David Lee will appear. K-pop singers such as Tsuki of Billie and Dayoung of WJSN will also take part and present a variety of dishes. Experts from various fields, including Professor Kwak Jaesik and master Onggi artisan Kim Yongho, will join to explore Korean food culture from multiple perspectives.

By episode, Part 1, "The Splendid Addition of Devotion: The Food Culture of Plus (+)," introduces Korea’s jang (fermented sauce) culture; Part 2, "The Perfection of Subtraction: The Food Culture of Minus (-)," presents temple food culture; and Part 3, "Harmony of Nature and Time: The Food Culture of Zero (0)," showcases naturalistic Korean cuisine that makes use of seasonal seafood.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Craft and Design Cultural Promotion Agency plan to distribute the program through various platforms at home and abroad. In Korea, it will be available via the online video service (OTT) Wavve, and overseas it will be offered to viewers around the world through MBC America, DirecTV, Arirang TV, KOCOWA, and other channels.

Lee Jeongmi, Director-General for Culture Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "We aim to convey the value of Korean food culture through engaging stories that encompass both tradition and modernity," adding, "We hope that this program will serve as an opportunity for interest in Korean food to expand to Korean traditional culture as a whole."

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