NK naengmyeon restaurants vie for top spot

Naengmyeon offered at Okryugwan. / Korea Times file

North Korea’s naengmyeon restaurants are vying to be recognized as the top eatery offering the chilled buckwheat noodle soup, Pyongyang’s traditional dish, according to a report.

This appears to be a result of leader Kim Jong-eun’s increasing emphasis on introducing the market economy idea of making profit from competition.

The April edition of a monthly publication by a pro-North Korean association of Koreans based in Japan reported on the rivalry between Okryugwan and Cheongryugwan, two of the most noted upscale restaurants in the capital.

Okryugwan is older and was formerly recognized as the best naengmyeon restaurant in the reclusive state.

It opened in 1961, and is known in the South because it serves visiting South Koreans and foreigners. The restaurant is a two-story Hanok building that accommodates 2,250 guests.

Cheongryugwan, which opened in 1982, seats 1,000 people.

Waitresses at Cheongryugwan wave as they see off South Korean guests in this file photo. / Korea Times file

In a Naengmyeon contest in Pyongyang last year, Okryugwan was rated tops, followed by Cheongryugwan. About10 naengmyeon restaurants participated.

The publication reported that Okryugwan is all about tradition while Cheongryugwan offers more modern vibes. It compared the former to a pavilion on water and the latter to a ferry.

It also promoted Cheongryugwan, saying it had improved a great deal to be able to compete with Okryugwan. The report added that Pyongyang citizens often argue about which of the two is better.

Cheongryugwan’s chef was quoted as saying she had standardized the recipe to provide a unique taste.

“We will strive to become better, so we can beat Okryugwan,” she said.

The article said, “The benefits of the rivalry are that better quality, better-tasting Pyongyang naengmyeon goes to the citizens.”