'The Solitary Gourmet' Original Creator: "I Was Surprised President Yoon Also Read My Comic"

Sharing article related to SNS with "Surprised" reaction
President Yoon says in interview "I enjoy watching Lonely Gourmet"

Masayuki Kusumi (65), the manga story writer who created the popular Japanese manga "Kodokuna Gourmet," expressed surprise at an article stating that President Yoon Suk-yeol enjoys watching the drama of the same name based on his manga.

A Twitter post by Masayuki Kusumi, the original author of the manga "Kodokuna Gourmet," sharing an article about the Korea-Japan summit dinner. [Image source=Masayuki Kusumi Twitter]

On the 17th, Kusumi shared an article from the Japanese Sankei Shimbun titled "The Unstoppable Appetite of the Korean and Japanese Leaders" on his Twitter, writing, "The Korean president also watches 'Kodokuna Gourmet.' I'm a bit surprised."

The article Kusumi shared detailed how Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Yoon visited two long-established restaurants in Ginza, Tokyo, on the evening of the 16th, eating sukiyaki, omurice, hamburg steak, tonkatsu, and drinking together.

According to Sankei Shimbun, the two leaders talked extensively about "Kodokuna Gourmet" at the Western-style restaurant "Rengatei," which they visited second.

Earlier, in an interview with Yomiuri Shimbun on the 15th, President Yoon said, "I like Japanese foods such as soba noodles, udon, and eel rice bowls," and added, "I always watch the drama 'Kodokuna Gourmet' when it airs on Korean TV."

The article received comments such as "Kodokuna Gourmet connecting Korea and Japan, amazing," and "It would have been fun if they secretly visited the restaurants featured in 'Kodokuna Gourmet.'"

A scene from the comic "Kodokuna Mishokuga" (The Solitary Gourmet).

Meanwhile, "Kodokuna Gourmet," which was also very popular in Korea, is a slice-of-life manga that gently depicts Goro Inogashira, a distributor of imported goods, enjoying gourmet meals alone at various restaurants during his spare moments in daily life.

It was serialized in Japan from 1994 for two years and later adapted into a TV drama, which aired up to season 10 on TV Tokyo.