First Ladies Engaged in Culinary Diplomacy
By Lee Tae-hoon
Staff Reporter
Japan's new first lady, Miyuki Hatoyama, conducted culinary diplomacy in Seoul, Friday.
She met with Korea's first lady Kim Yoon-ok to make kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented side-dish made of vegetables with spicy seasoning at the Institute of Traditional Korean Food in Jongno, downtown Seoul.
The free-spirited and often quirky first lady was all smiles throughout the day, letting people around her, especially Kim, feel closer to her.
``Please give me a bowl of rice,''she cheerfully said in Korean after tasting a slice of Kimchi that Kim had given to her.
Miyuki, originally an actress by profession, is also the author of several cookbooks, including ``Miyuki Hatoyama's Spiritual Food.''
An avid fan of ``hallyu,'' or Korean cultural wave, she can speak simple Korean.
Her love for Korean celebrities and pop culture, especially TV dramas, has been splashed across the media, including her meetings with Korean actors Lee Seo-jin and Bae Yong-joon, as well as baseball star Lee Seung-yeop.
Time magazine nicknamed her ``Mrs. Occult'' when she talked about a ``trip to Venus'' in a book published last year.
The magazine also added her to its ``Top 10 Colorful First Spouses,'' which included the likes of Carla Bruni, the wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and former-first lady U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Many Koreans think the liberal Japanese first lady will help strengthen bilateral relations.