The disappearing table: How this chef is preserving North Korean cuisine in Seoul

At his cosy restaurant Leebukbang (which means “North Korean Room”), Choi is working to preserve and reinterpret the culinary traditions of North Korea. Specifically, the memories of Choi’s grandmother, who fled the North during the Korean War, bringing with her recipes and foodways from Hamgyeong Province. His restaurant is one of the very few in the country that serves a full course of North Korean cuisine — not the symbolic dishes seen in state banquets or news documentaries, but everyday food once eaten by ordinary families.