South Korean President Moon Jae-in has a history of eating at local restaurants on his overseas visits.

Visiting Vietnam in March, he enjoyed pho at a noodle house. In Beijing last year, he had breakfast local style: Chinese-style deep-fried doughnuts and soymilk at a local eatery.

Moon continues his so-called “local restaurant diplomacy”-- an effort to connect with the people -- in Pyongyang.



On Wednesday evening, Moon is set to dine at a seafood restaurant in the North Korean capital, popular among Pyongyang residents.

Cheong Wa Dae said it had specifically asked Pyongyang to pick a place that is popular among locals.

The restaurant, Taedong River Seafood Restaurant, is a new establishment that opened July 30. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reportedly selected the site of the seafood restaurant, and even named it. Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, also visited the restaurant before its official opening to encourage the staff.

The large restaurant, located near Pyongyang’s Taedong River, is a boat-shaped elongated structure. It features a large area with shallow pools where customers can net salmon, rainbow trout and crabs to be taken away or have them prepared at the restaurant.

Apparently one of the most-talked about restaurants in Pyongyang today, it welcomes both local and foreign customers. It is also a favorite place for work or family gatherings, as it offers separate rooms of different sizes for those who want to dine in private.


Moon is to dine in a room named “Bom-maji” -- which roughly translates to “beginning of spring” -- on Wednesday evening. Pyongyang residents who wish to dine in the same room will be able to do so, Cheong Wa Dae said.

It is unclear whether Moon’s North Korean counterpart, Kim, will be joining him for dinner.

Earlier Wednesday, Pyongyang agreed to take additional steps toward making the Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons during the inter-Korean summit, in an apparent move to restart its denuclearization talks with the US.

Kim also pledged to visit Seoul “in the near future” on Wednesday.

If the trip takes place, Kim will be the first North Korean leader to visit Seoul since the peninsula was divided at the end of World War II in 1945.

(dyc@heraldcorp.com)