"My Songpyeon Turned Into Dumplings... First Lady Kim Hye-kyung Celebrates Chuseok in New York"

Sharing Holiday Spirit with Fellow Koreans by Making Songpyeon with the New York Family Counseling Center
"Even Foreign Leaders Use Chopsticks and Eat Kimchi Comfortably... K-Food in the Spotlight"

First Lady Kim Hye-kyung, currently visiting New York, USA, for the United Nations General Assembly, created a festive Chuseok atmosphere a step ahead by making songpyeon with fellow Koreans on the 23rd (local time). When her songpyeon didn't turn out as she had hoped, she burst into laughter, saying, "Mine ended up looking like dumplings, that's a disaster." While reminiscing about memories of holidays from her childhood, Kim also discussed the rising status of K-food worldwide.

President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung, who are visiting New York, are talking with participants at the Songpyeon-making event for Chuseok held in collaboration with the New York Family Counseling Center at the New York Korean Cultural Center on the 23rd (local time). 2026.9.24 Yonhap News Photo by Yonhap News

On this day, Kim attended a Chuseok Songpyeon-making event held at the Korean Cultural Center New York in Manhattan, together with officials from the New York Family Counseling Center. Wearing a yellow saekdong (colorful striped) apron, she remarked to participants, "It's so colorful, it almost feels like I'm wearing a hanbok," and added, "Just wearing this kind of apron makes it feel like the holidays."

Before making the songpyeon, Kim shared some memories of spending holidays with her family as a child. She said, "Seeing you all here in New York wearing colorful aprons takes me back to memories of sitting in a circle with my mother and relatives before the holidays, making songpyeon together." She continued with a laugh, "I remember making them with my aunt, and she'd ask, 'Hyekyung, what are you up to these days? Are you seeing anyone?'"

As the songpyeon-making began, the atmosphere became much more relaxed. While adding sweet sesame filling, Kim commented, "When I was little, making sesame filling seemed so hard. If you make a mistake once, there's no fixing it," and, looking at the songpyeon she had made, joked, "Mine turned into a dumpling, what a disaster."

The old saying, "If you make pretty songpyeon, you'll have a beautiful daughter," also became a topic of conversation. When the chef leading the event shared, "I have two beautiful daughters," Kim responded, "Chef, why are you saying that? I only have two sons," sparking laughter among the participants. She kept up the jokes when looking at another participant's songpyeon, saying, "Of course, people with daughters make the prettiest ones."

The conversation naturally shifted to K-food. Kim remarked, "These days, K-food is really getting a lot of attention," as she described first-hand experiences of the growing global status of Korean cuisine.

Kim continued, "I’m honestly surprised. When I meet foreign leaders, they are so comfortable using chopsticks and eating kimchi that it amazes me," and added, "Out of all the K-culture trends, like K-pop and K-beauty, K-food is what shapes people’s tastes." She also commented, "Once people get used to it, they can’t escape. Americans used to avoid rice cakes and gimbap, but now they eat whole gimbap and tteokbokki like it's nothing."

President Lee Jae-myung and First Lady Kim Hye-kyung, who are visiting New York, are making Songpyeon with attendees at the Songpyeon Making Event for Chuseok held at the Korean Cultural Center New York in collaboration with the New York Family Counseling Center on the 23rd (local time). 2026.9.24 Yonhap News Agency

She also shared her experience of blending Korean cuisine with local ingredients. "Recently, I tried making japchae in Korea, but it’s hard to find glass noodles abroad, isn’t it? I used spaghetti instead, and it worked pretty well," Kim noted, suggesting, "It would be nice to make Korean food in its traditional form from the start, but adapting it this way could also help spread Korean cuisine."

Kim emphasized food’s role in soothing people's hearts and minds. "When I’m feeling complicated inside, doing simple tasks with my hands, like making dumplings, seems to calm me down," she said. "There’s music therapy and art therapy, but I think food therapy could also be used much more widely."

After finishing the songpyeon, Kim gazed at her creation and laughed once again, saying, "I wonder if I’ll be embarrassed by my songpyeon." She concluded the event by telling participants, "It really feels like Chuseok today, just like the actual holiday."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.