Paju City Successfully Concludes the 15th Paju Jangdan Sambaek Cuisine National Competition

Competition Among 25 Teams Nationwide Including Students, Soldiers, and Food Service Workers

Kim Kyung-il, Mayor of Paju City (left), is taking a commemorative photo after awarding a commendation to Yang Hee-sun and Han Sun-young, who won the grand prize at the 15th Paju Jangdan Sambaek Cuisine National Competition held on the 19th.

Gyeonggi Paju City (Mayor Kim Kyung-il) announced on the 21st that the "15th Paju Jangdan Sambaek Cooking National Competition," held on the 19th at the Imjingak Paju Gaeseong Ginseng Festival Site, concluded successfully by presenting creative and high-quality dishes to the audience.

This competition was organized to widely promote Paju's specialties and contribute to the development of Paju's dining industry by developing diverse and distinctive local dishes using the main ingredients known as "Jangdan Sambaek (長湍三白)": Paju Jangdan soybeans, Paju Gaeseong ginseng, and Hansuwi Paju rice.

On the day of the competition, 25 teams from across the country, including Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, Gangwon, Gyeongbuk, and Jeju, participated. All submitted works will have their recipes provided free of charge to local dining establishments, and some award-winning dishes will be commercialized and sold at the Paju Jangdan Soybean Wellbeing Maru.

The 25 teams that advanced to the finals consisted of a wide age range from 16 to 61 years old, with participants from various sectors nationwide, including students, soldiers, housewives, and dining industry workers, competing fiercely.

The judging panel, composed of the chairman of the Culinary Skills Association, a master of food processing in Korea, and university professors, focused on evaluating the dishes based on popularity, creativity, cooking process, and artistic value.

The prestigious grand prize was awarded to Yang Hee-soon and Han Sun-young from the Paju region for their "Five-colored Five-flavor Jeungpyeon with Jangdan Sambaek Filling," earning them the Paju Mayor's Commendation and a prize of 2 million won. The gold prizes went to Shim Hyuk and Lee Do-yeon from Seoul for "Jangdan Sambaek Sotbap," and Kim Yeon-jung and Yoo Jin-seok from Gangwon for "Jangdan Sambaek Soft Tofu Haesintang." Two teams received silver awards, two teams bronze, three teams encouragement awards, one team from Paju Wellbeing Maru, and 15 teams received honorable mentions, showcasing a variety of dishes that captivated the audience.