Pyongyang’s cold noodles introduced on CNN

Pyongyang’s cold noodles introduced on CNN. April. 28, 2018 07:43. chan2@donga.com.
“Pyongyang Naengmyun,” a dish of cold noodles included in the dinner menu of Friday’s inter-Korean summit, has become famous worldwide with CNN having introduced the dish through a live broadcast. Lee Ji-yeon (48), former South Korean singer who was one of the teen stars during the 1980s, made the dish in the CNN studio as a special guest.

Reporting on the news about an upcoming summit between the two Koreas on Thursday (local time), CNN introduced the cold noodles with an English subtitle “PYONGYANG NAENGMYUN.” It also used an expression‎ of “Noodle Diplomacy” to signify that food can be a diplomatic means that serves as a bridge between the two Koreas. Though originally from the North, Pyongyang Naengmyun is beloved by many South Koreans.

During the live broadcast, the dish was made by Lee Ji-yeon. Since her debut in the late 1980s, Lee had enjoyed a huge popularity with her songs including “That reason was a pain to me,” and “Wind please stop blowing” until she moved to the United States and became a cook. The program’s anchors tried the naengmyun dish on the spot.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who crossed the Military Demarcation Line Friday for the first-ever bilateral summit, said that he managed to bring Naengmyun from Pyongyang and hoped President Moon enjoy the dish. It is understood that Moon first suggested Pyongyang Naengmyun as a menu for the banquet. North Korea dispatched its top chef of Okryu-Gwan to the truce village of Panmunjom where the meeting is held in order to recreate it for dinner. Okryu-Gwan is a restaurant in the North Korean capital, near the Okryu Bridge on the Taedong River, famous for Naengmyun.