Korean barbecue might have put Korean food on the map, but it’s only one aspect of the country’s richly diverse cuisine. In this episode of CNN Original Series K-Everything, host and executive producer, Daniel Dae Kim explores the meteoric rise of Korean food, in a story that is not just about what to eat and how to make it, but about nostalgia, pride, innovation, and determination.
Photo: CNN
Starting in Pyeongchang, Kim and his parents visit one of South Korea’s biggest kimjang which takes place every November – a festival where people come together to ferment vast quantities of kimchi in preparation for winter. Returning to Seoul, Daniel meets food stylist Ellie Lee who recreates a dish she prepared for Squid Game, explaining the outsized role the media has played in the global proliferation of Korea’s culinary culture.
Kim then explores Gyeongdong Market, a hub for Korean street food where every bite takes him back to his childhood. He accompanies chef Corey Lee, the first Korean chef to receive three Michelin stars for his San Francisco restaurant Benu, to one of his favorite restaurants in Seoul: a small mom-and-pop that only serves raw, soy-marinated crab.
In Korea, meeting up for a drink isn’t a straightforward affair, where it is coded with strict rules of etiquette and plays an important role in socializing. Three legendary chefs and restauranteurs, Corey Lee, Mingoo Kang and Lucia Cho, provide Kim with a refresher course on the protocol of alcohol, but not before Kim goes on a trip to GS25, Korea’s answer to 7-Eleven and home to almost every snack imaginable.
Kim reconnects with Corey Lee for a meal at a restaurant specializing in kimchi jjigae, or kimchi stew, a popular and resourceful dish that has endured through the country’s occupation, widespread poverty and two wars.
At a mountainside retreat in Pyeongchang, Kim learns from Chef Cho Hee-sook, known as the ‘Godmother of Korean cuisine’, who teaches him about the fundamental ‘mother sauces’ that give Korean cuisine its bold, distinct flavors. And back in Seoul, Kim and Corey Lee have dinner at Mingoo Kang’s three Michelin-starred restaurant Mingles, discovering how fine dining in Korea is more than just luxury – reflecting the country’s rapid transformation over the past half century.
Finally, witness how food becomes an emotional anchor across generations and a way to speak when words alone can’t, as Daniel Dae Kim and his parents get the quintessential Korean takeout – jjajangmyeon, or black bean noodles – and reminisce about life in 1970s rural Pennsylvania.
K-Everything continues the legacy of CNN Original Series’ host-led storytelling that examines global culture and the human experience, joining an award-winning library of premium programming streaming on the CNN app.
The CNN Original Series is sponsored by one of South Korea’s largest companies, Hyundai Motor Company, a global brand deeply rooted in Korean heritage whose growth has mirrored the country’s own journey of innovation and progress.
K-Everything episode 3 (K-food) premiered on Saturday, May 23 (8 PM HKT) and has been replayed on Sunday, May 24 (8 AM and 11 PM HKT). Viewers can also view a replay on Monday, May 25 (3 AM HKT on CNN International).
The 4-episode series will stream live for CNN International pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps weekly. It has been available on demand since Saturday, May 9, to CNN’s streaming subscribers in the US via CNN.com and CNN connected TV and mobile apps. The series will also be available to stream on HBO Max, where available.
Kim is repped by UTA, Linden Entertainment, Narrative PR