(The CEN News / Reporter Yang Hyung-ju) OneulN — a show that celebrates flavors, personalities, and places — turns everyday moments into something unexpectedly special.
On the 21st, MBC's OneulN spotlights food, workplaces, family life, and traditional spaces across segments like "Today Is Noodle Day," "Great Workplace," "Suspicious Family," and "The Heyday of Village Houses."
100% buckwheat: pollock bibim makguksu
In Jecheon, North Chungcheong, a restaurant is getting attention for pollock bibim makguksu made with 100% buckwheat noodles. Diners say the flour-free noodles feel light and comfortable after a meal — so much so that they're likely to come back the next day. Owner Hwang Hyo-bin says, "I want to serve healthy noodles to our customers."
To address buckwheat's tendency to break, the kitchen controls the temperature of the dough water. The dish is elevated by a sauce blended from apple, pear, pineapple, astragalus root, and licorice, topped with raw pollock shipped from Sokcho. Locals also rave about the spicy broth noodle dish served with stir-fried pork.
Boil it four times for the best flavor: a rich hanwoo gomtang
In Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, one restaurant's hanwoo gomtang is turning heads for its rich yet clean flavor. The owner simmers the broth four times over three days, skimming off the fat after each boil to achieve that clear, lean taste. "One spoonful of the soup brings a special person to mind," the owner says.
Also on the menu is a beef tripe and short-rib stew developed after extensive testing; the combination has become a crowd favorite. What began as a hanwoo barbecue spot now serves gomtang for eight years, and the bowl reflects 15 years of research that keeps customers coming back.
Has the husband been pushed aside by boarders?
In Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, Choi Pil-geum and her husband Yoo Byung-jin have run a boarding house for 41 years. They treat their tenants like family, serving breakfast and dinner, and charge about 450,000–600,000 KRW per month (approximately $337.50–$450.00), meals included, so students can focus on their studies.
Choi says she started the boarding house after giving up her own schooling as a child due to poverty. Many former residents have gone on to prominent careers, including judges and prosecutors. Yoo says he dreams of a more leisurely life, like traveling, but he continues his daily routine alongside his wife, who keeps the boarding house running.
Adding comfort to a hanok
On Incheon's Ganghwa Island, a modern reinterpretation of a hanok is drawing attention. Seok Su-gyeong renovated a 1970s hanok to preserve its traditional atmosphere while adding modern conveniences.
She improved the earthen courtyard and upgraded insulation, replaced paper doors with lattice-patterned sash windows to maintain a vintage feel, and made the window lattice removable for practicality. A modern building added three years ago sits beside the hanok, creating a space where tradition and contemporary living coexist.
OneulN airs Monday through Thursday at 6:05 p.m., bringing everyday people and places into focus.
Photo: MBC
(The CEN News) Yang Hyung-ju press@mhns.co.kr
