First Lady Kim Hye-kyung Bakes 'Hope Cookies' with Children with Glycogen Storage Disease: "I Wanted to Make Worry-Free Cookies Together"

Organized as a Follow-up to the Rare Disease Family Communication Event
Hope Cookies to Be Delivered to Young Patients Unable to Attend Ahead of Children’s Day

On April 29, First Lady Kim Hye-kyung encouraged children suffering from Glycogen Storage Disease (GSD) by making 'Hope Cookies,' a customized healthy snack, together with them, supporting their healthy eating habits and dreams ahead of Children's Day.

Kim Hye-Kyung is greeting children at the Hope Cookie Making event for pediatric cancer patients held on the 29th at Imagination Land in Children's Grand Park, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

According to Deputy Spokesperson An Gwi-ryeong of the Office of the President in a written briefing, Kim visited the 'Strong Food Explorers' special class held at Seoul Imagination Land, an experience facility within Children's Grand Park in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 29th. There, she participated in the Hope Cookie making activity with children suffering from GSD.

This event was organized as a follow-up measure to a rare disease patient and family communication event that President Lee Jae-myung and his wife attended on December 24 last year. The purpose was to support healthy eating habits by making Hope Cookies, a snack introduced at the previous event as a customized treat for GSD patients, together with the children ahead of Children's Day.

Glycogen Storage Disease is a rare, congenital disorder of carbohydrate, specifically glucose, metabolism that results in recurrent episodes of hypoglycemia. The number of patients in Korea is estimated to be around 370. Patients require strict blood sugar management, such as eating small meals at regular intervals and consuming corn starch.

Hope Cookies were developed by parents, taking these characteristics into consideration, by reducing carbohydrate content so that children can eat them with peace of mind.

Meeting the children, Kim said, "The story of Hope Cookies that I heard last Christmas Eve has stayed with me," adding, "I wanted to be here today to make cookies that children with GSD can enjoy without worry."

She then introduced Jang Jun-woo, a student who continues his studies at Korea Minjok Leadership Academy while living with GSD, and encouraged the other children by saying, "I hope all of you will grow up healthy and wonderful, just like Jun-woo."

Among those attending the event were Kang Yun-gu, Associate Professor at Wonju Severance Christian Hospital who treats GSD patients, as well as Lee Ji-young, CEO of Mongsim, a youth startup bakery preparing to launch Hope Cookies.

Following the instructor's directions, Kim and the children mashed steamed sweet potatoes and unsalted butter, then added oatmeal and sesame seeds to make the dough. They then pressed the dough into various molds such as hearts, stars, and cats, and baked them in the oven. According to the Office of the President, the cookies were characterized by their natural sweetness from sweet potatoes instead of sugar, and their nutty flavor and texture from unsalted butter, oatmeal, and sesame seeds.

Watching the children make cookies, Kim said, "You're doing such a great job! Did you practice beforehand?" she continued, offering praise and encouragement. Park Jae-yi, who participated in the event, said with a smile, "It was a bit difficult, but I think my cooking skills improved," bringing laughter to the scene.

Kim remarked, "I think Hope Cookies would be a great healthy snack not only for children with GSD but also for any household," adding, "I also thought they'd go well as a late-night snack for President Lee Jae-myung."

While the cookies were baking, Kim and the children took a walk together in Children's Grand Park. In front of a fountain playing children's songs, they took commemorative photos with 'Careu' and 'Nashuro,' the sodium and sugar reduction mascots from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and spent time playing with soap bubbles.

Kim Hye-kyung is taking a walk with children after the Hope Cookie Making event for children with leukemia, held on the 29th at Children's Grand Park in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Afterward, Kim and the children tasted the Hope Cookies they had baked themselves. After the commemorative photo, Kim personally handed out the Hope Cookies and gift packages she had made. Bae Jun-ho, head of the GSD Patients' Association and father of attendee Bae Ji-an, said, "I am sincerely grateful for not forgetting about Hope Cookies and making this meaningful event happen again," adding, "As a parent, I felt deeply moved."

Bae also said, "Seeing the changes that continue thanks to the ongoing interest of First Lady Kim and the government was very touching," and "I hope that Hope Cookies will spread beyond children with GSD and become a healthy snack enjoyed by everyone."

The Office of the President also announced plans to deliver Hope Cookies to children with GSD who could not attend the event, through the GSD Patients' Association, to mark Children's Day on May 5.

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