King Charles III of the UK Visits Korean Town in England
Experiences Korean Culture Before Meeting President Yoon
King Charles III of the United Kingdom visited New Malden Koreatown on the 8th (local time) and received a gift of kimchi, jokingly saying, "(If I eat it, will my head explode because it's spicy? Will I still have a head left?)"
Ahead of his 75th birthday (November 14), Charles III received kimchi and a kimchi cookbook as gifts. He made a worried expression and then laughed as he spoke. Charles III is known not to enjoy spicy food.
King Charles III of the United Kingdom arrives at New Malden Methodist Church in London and listens to explanations about Korean culture and food. Photo by AP Yonhap News
Before President Yoon Suk-yeol's state visit, Charles III visited New Malden Koreatown on the outskirts of southwest London to tour the Korean community and appreciate Korean culture.
Yoon Yeo-cheol, the South Korean Ambassador to the UK, who welcomed King Charles III in New Malden, said, "When the King received the kimchi gift, he asked, 'Is it made from cabbage?' and when I said it was 'fermented,' he looked curious about what the taste might be."
Kimchi Gift Wrapped in Bojagi... "Half the Red Pepper Powder to Suit the King's Taste"
King Charles III of the United Kingdom arrives at New Malden Methodist Church in London and listens to explanations about Korean culture and food. Photo by AP Yonhap News
The kimchi gifted that day was made by Lee Ha-yeon, Chairperson of the Korea Kimchi Association, and was brought from Korea by courier the day before. A whole head of kimchi was placed in a small jar and wrapped in a bojagi (traditional Korean wrapping cloth).
Jang Jeong-eun, founder of Korean-British Cultural Exchange (KBCE), who handed the kimchi to Charles III, explained, "To suit his taste, we used only half the amount of red pepper powder and boiled the salted shrimp and garlic to reduce the smell. Considering that it would be difficult to eat a whole head of kimchi at once, we cut it into bite-sized portions, wrapped them in kimchi leaves, and tied them with water dropwort."
The kimchi cookbook contains secret recipes of kimchi from Korea, North Korea, and Yanbian in China, passed down in the New Malden area. It was produced by KBCE with support from the UK National Lottery Fund.
"Seemed Impressed by the Various Types of Kimchi Appearing on the Birthday Table"
King Charles III of the United Kingdom arrives at New Malden Methodist Church in London and listens to explanations about Korean culture and food. Photo by AP Yonhap News
Charles III also listened to explanations about the Korean birthday table prepared by the Korean community. Ambassador Yoon said, "Following the kimchi gift, when various types of kimchi appeared on the birthday table, the King seemed impressed and had an expression as if to say, 'Kimchi is everything to Koreans.'"
Park Ok-jin, a Korean councilor from Kingston who guided the King, said Charles III asked questions such as, "'Is gujeolpan vegetarian? Does Korean food contain a lot of seafood and is it good for health? What are the ingredients of sujeonggwa?'" When encouraged to try some, he replied, "I will try it later."
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