Hwangnam bread, which first appeared in 1939 in the Hwangnam-dong neighborhood of Gyeongju, Gyoengsangbuk-do Province, has gone to domestic and foreign reporters at the International Media Center in Gyeongju during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

By APEC 2025 Korea coverage team
Photos = Park Daejin

To the east lies the coast of the East Sea and to the west the Taebaek Mountains. Between them sprawls a vast plain.

Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, boasts mountains, the sea and fields, an environment offering diverse products such as glutinous barley, rice, hanwoo (premium domestic beef), cherries, tomatoes and flounder.

Another regional specialty is bread including the chewy bread made of glutinous barley and whole oats and Hwangnam bread, one of the nation's oldest types of pat (red bean paste) bread.

Hwangnam bread has a thin crust filled with ground red beans, offering a delicate texture and rich sweetness. Over its 86-year history, it has used no ingredient other than homegrown red beans.

The bread drew rave reviews from international guests on Oct. 28 while served as a dessert at the banquet of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit.

The official dinner menu for the summit dinner will be released on site, and speculation says it will include Gyeongju specialties such as hanwoo, flounder and abalone. The meal preparation will be jointly done by chef Edward Lee, who appears on the Netflix cooking competition show "Culinary Class Wars," and Lotte Hotel Seoul.

"I want to sincerely tell the story of Korean cuisine and ingredients at this dinner," Lee said in an Oct. 2 interview with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "I will preserve tradition while showing the beauty of Korean cuisine that has pursued innovation."

President Lee has also stepped in to promote the taste of Gyeongju, telling CNN correspondent Will Ripley in an Oct. 22 interview, "I believe K-food is probably one of the healthiest cuisines in the world."

"If you visit Gyeongju during APEC, I am very sure that you will be able to have this bread (Hwangnam bread)."

A visitor on Oct. 30 looks at the K-Halal Food Booth run by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs near Gyeongju Hwabaek International Convention Center in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.

Gyeongju Expo Park, the venue of the APEC summit, was filled with the aroma of Hansik (traditional food).

The Gyeongsangbuk-do government opened the Gyeongbuk K-Food Promotion Booth at the APEC Economic Exhibition, displaying leading items from the region such as Andong soju (rice liquor), regionally made wine, chamoe (Korean melon), which is described as something between honeydew melon and cucumber, and apples.

Near the venue was K-Food Station and its queue of food trucks run by government branches. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Affairs featured traditional snacks such as hotteok (sweet buns), yakgwa (traditional honey cookies) and jeungpyeon (steamed rice cakes made with rice wine).

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries displayed domestic seafood such as snacks made of gim (dried seaweed), fish cake bars, abalone and kelp chips.

The K-Halal Food Booth showcased about 90 types of dishes that received halal accreditation such as ramyeon (instant noodles), kimchi, rice-based processed food and drinks.

Traditional alcoholic beverages are displayed on Oct. 30 at the Gyeongbuk K-Food Promotion Booth of the APEC Economic Exhibition at Gyeongju Expo Park in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.