Meet Korea Grandma as Virgin Atlantic Holidays Brings the Heart of Seoul to London

The Korean Wave has never felt more present in London. This summer, BTS are taking over Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Peggy Gou is set to perform at the Old Royal Naval College and K beauty continues to shape fashion and beauty trends across the capital. Adding another layer to this cultural moment, Virgin Atlantic Holidays has introduced Heart + Seoul, an immersive Korean supper club celebrating the country's rich culinary traditions. During New Wave's conversation with Park Mak-rye, better known to millions as Korea Grandma, it became clear that this experience is about much more than food. It is a celebration of family, storytelling and the everyday rituals that make Korean culture so enduring and universally loved.

Flying into London on Virgin Atlantic's new direct route from Seoul, Park Mak-rye has brought decades of experience to Shoreditch. After running her own restaurant for 43 years, she has become one of Korea's most recognised cultural figures, sharing home cooked recipes, family traditions and heartfelt stories with audiences across the globe through her hugely popular online presence. At Heart + Seoul, those same traditions are served at the table through generous spreads of banchan, comforting home cooked mains, traditional desserts, soju and local beers. Throughout each sitting, guests were invited into the world of a Korean halmoni, the grandmother figures regarded as the guardians of Korean food and family heritage.

Designed by Virgin Atlantic Holidays, Heart + Seoul recreates the atmosphere of Seoul's bustling restaurants, neighbourhood markets and family kitchens through communal dining and shared conversation. Speaking with New Wave, Korea Grandma reflected on how food has always been one of Korea's strongest forms of connection, carrying memories and traditions from one generation to the next. That philosophy shapes every part of the experience, transforming a simple dinner into an introduction to Korean hospitality, where every dish tells a story and every meal is an opportunity to bring people together.

While the supper club offers an authentic taste of Seoul, it also serves as an invitation to experience Korea firsthand. Virgin Atlantic Holidays now offers experiential itineraries built around the airline's direct flights to Seoul, giving travellers access to everything from traditional hanbok experiences and tea ceremonies to Korean cooking classes, guided market tours, visits to the Demilitarized Zone and explorations of Seoul's magnificent royal palaces. The launch reflects a growing appetite for travel centred on culture, encouraging visitors to engage with destinations through the people, traditions and experiences that define them.

New Wave sat down with beloved creator and chef “Korea Grandma” to discuss why food may now be its most powerful cultural ambassador. Discussing the rise of Korean cuisine in London, the role of travel in cultural exchange, and her experience at Virgin Atlantic Holidays’ Heart + Seoul supper club, she shares why authenticity comes from following local traditions.

The Korean Wave has transformed global perceptions of Korea through music, film and beauty. Do you believe food is now becoming its most powerful cultural ambassador?

I think so. You can’t always sing the songs or understand the language, but everyone can share a meal together.

I think food is the fastest way to make friends. Someone takes one bite of kimchi and suddenly becomes curious about Korea. K-pop and K-dramas may bring people to Korea, but I think it’s the food they remember long after they go home.

Halmonis have long been regarded as the keepers of Korean tradition. What responsibility do you feel when introducing those traditions to an international audience for the first time?

I try not to think of myself as representing Korea - that would make me too nervous.

I simply share the food I’ve always cooked for my own family. Home cooking doesn’t need to be fancy. I think the most authentic way to introduce Korea is to show it just as it is.

You've spent over four decades running a restaurant before becoming a beloved online creator. How have things changed in the way people connect with Korean cuisine during that time?

When I first opened my restaurant, some people would step back just from the smell of kimchi. (Laughs)

Now they ask for extra kimchi! The world has changed so much. K-dramas have worked hard, K-pop has worked hard, and kimchi has worked hard too.

Before, I had to explain Korean food. Now people come looking for it because they already want to learn more.

What dish do you think best represents the soul of Korean home cooking, and why? 

Doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew). You can eat it every day and never get tired of it. You can open the fridge, throw in whatever vegetables you have, and somehow it still tastes wonderful.

Every family makes it a little differently, and every bowl holds different memories. That's why I think it represents Korean home cooking best.

Food has always been central to Korean family life. What are some dining customs or traditions that visitors to Seoul should know before sitting down for their first authentic Korean meal?

Don't keep all the side dishes to yourself. In Korea, sharing food is part of good manners. If something is delicious, someone will always say, "Try this."

That's what we call jeong - sharing food is one of the easiest ways to make someone feel like family.

This experience encourages guests to travel to Seoul on short notice. Do you think spontaneity allows people to experience a destination in a more authentic way? 

Absolutely. If everything goes exactly according to plan, it starts to feel like going to work instead of travelling. (Laughs)

Sometimes getting lost leads you to the best restaurant you'll ever remember. The best travel memories often come from unexpected moments.

London has embraced Korean culture through fashion, music and beauty. How do you see Korean cuisine influencing the city's culinary scene over the next few years?

I think people will discover much more than kimchi and bulgogi. I hope more people will become curious about everyday Korean home cooking, like doenjang-jjigae and simple vegetable side dishes. Korean food isn't always love at first bite, it’s the kind of food that quietly grows on you over time.

If that happens here in London too, it would make me very happy. This is why at Heart + Seoul we wanted to serve Dotori-muk (acorn jelly), a traditional dish which people might not want to try at first sight, but usually end up wanting more!

Virgin Atlantic Holidays is positioning food as the gateway to travel. Can a single meal genuinely inspire someone to book a trip across the world?

I definitely think so. Coming to London changed my mind about fish and chips. I never knew they could be that crispy and delicious. (Laughs)

It reminded me that food always tastes best where it was born. Kimchi tastes different in Seoul too. That's why, when I planned the menu for Heart + Seoul, I wanted people to experience the food that Koreans genuinely eat every day. We included dishes inspired by Gwangjang Market, like yukhoe and kimchi-jeon, as well as everyday favourites like jeyuk-bokkeum and grilled mackerel.

We even had a secret menu - dotori-muk (acorn jelly). It was probably unfamiliar to many of our guests, but for Koreans, it's a comforting summer dish we've enjoyed for generations. Seeing people in London enjoying it on a hot summer day made me so happy. So I hope people stop putting off both good food and travel.

I always say,

"If not now, when?"

Life goes by faster than you think. Go now. And make sure you eat something delicious while you're there. Virgin Atlantic Holidays' itineraries are a great place to start!

If someone only had 48 hours in Seoul, what neighbourhoods, markets and restaurants would you tell them they absolutely cannot miss?

Forty-eight hours? You'll have to walk fast! Start your morning at Gwangjang Market for bindaetteok and kalguksu, stroll through Bukchon, and stop for coffee in Ikseon-dong.

I also have a soft spot for Sadang-dong, where I raised my family, and Yangjae Cafe Street is lovely for a slower afternoon. If you enjoy shopping, don't miss Gangnam Underground Shopping Mall.

Most importantly, follow the locals. If you see a restaurant full of Korean people, go in. That's usually where the best food is. I think it's a wonderful way for first-time visitors to experience Seoul, giving them a taste of both its traditional charm and modern energy. Really Virgin Atlantic Holidays’ itinerary options cover it all, but I guarantee you’ll want more than 48 hours!

Authenticity is a word used frequently in travel. For you, what makes an experience truly authentic, especially when introducing Korean culture abroad?

Don't just follow the longest queue. Follow the grandmothers.

If you eat where local people eat and walk the same streets they walk every day, that's a real travel experience.

You've become known to millions as 'Korea Grandma'. Has social media changed the way younger generations value recipes and traditions that were once only passed down within families?

Very much. People used to learn beside their mother or grandmother. Now they can learn through their phones.

I thought I'd only have a few grandchildren. I never imagined I'd have grandchildren all around the world.

It still amazes me when people overseas cook my recipes at home.

The communal dining experience is central to Korean culture. In an increasingly individualistic world, what can people learn from the Korean approach to sharing food?

In Korea, if you're eating something delicious by yourself, you almost feel guilty. You automatically say, "Here, have a bite."

Food doesn't just fill your stomach - it brings people closer together.

Virgin Atlantic is now the only UK airline operating direct flights to Seoul. How important is easier accessibility in encouraging deeper cultural exchange between the UK and South Korea?

Cultural exchange wouldn’t be anything like it is now without this easier accessibility. One person being able to wake up in London and go to sleep in Seoul in one day is an amazing step towards integration and Virgin Atlantic is bringing us all together through this exciting new route.

I can’t wait for more people to be able to visit South Korea and experience what life is like in my hometown.

Looking beyond K-pop, what aspects of Korean culture do you think the world has only just begun to discover, and what do you hope visitors experience once they arrive in Seoul?

I hope people discover Korea's jeong. It's a quiet warmth between people that's often shown through small acts of kindness — sharing food, making sure you've eaten enough, or giving you a little extra without expecting anything in return.

K-pop and Korean dramas are wonderful, but I also hope people remember the warmth of the people they meet.

Go to a traditional market, and someone might give you an extra bite just because they like you.

That's the Korea I hope people take home with them.

Every family has one recipe that tells their story. Which dish best represents your family, and why is it so special to you?

For my family, it's kimchi. You can't make kimchi without at least one small argument. (Laughs)

Someone always says, "Add more salt!" and someone else says, "No!"

But once the kimchi is finished, everyone sits down together and shares a meal. That's what family feels like to me.

Your recipes have reached millions online. Did you ever imagine that traditional Korean home cooking would resonate so deeply with younger generations across the world?

Never. Who would have imagined that young people on the other side of the world would be cooking my recipes?

I simply shared the food I've cooked my whole life.

Life keeps surprising me, no matter how old I get. That's why I still love meeting new people, sharing meals, and learning something new every day.I still remember so many of the guests from Heart + Seoul. I even kept every photo we took together on my own phone because I never wanted to forget them.

One guest brought my cookbook all the way from Korea for me to sign. I'll never forget that. Another woman burst into tears the moment she saw me. I hugged her, and before I knew it, we were both crying. We didn't need many words. Somehow, we simply comforted each other.

I just hope that one warm Korean meal gave her a little comfort that day. I think, in the end, people live on warm meals and warm hearts.

The excitement does not end with dinner. Across the two day event, one guest at every sitting will win a pair of return flights to Seoul, with eight prizes available throughout the weekend. The only condition is that winners must book and travel within two weeks, embracing spontaneity in the same way the event encourages guests to embrace discovery. As London's fascination with Korean culture continues to grow, Heart + Seoul captures the spirit of the moment perfectly, offering a meaningful introduction to one of the world's most influential cultural movements while reminding us that the most memorable journeys often begin around a shared table.