■ Pohang, the Largest Port on the East Coast; The Autumn Sea Story of the Friends of Yeongil Bay – Sinchang 2-ri Experience Village

Homigot in Pohang is renowned as a famous spot for watching the sunrise. The Homigot Coastal Trail, which runs alongside the sea, connects to fishing villages of various sizes.

Sinchang 2-ri is one of them, sharing the tradition of Huri-geumuljabi (sewing nets) with visitors, a method where dozens of people on land work together to pull large nets out of the sea to catch fish.

From "Mori-guksu," a local Pohang dish made by boiling all kinds of ingredients—including fresh fish, bean sprouts, and noodles—to octopus fish cakes made with minced octopus meat and sea urchin seaweed rice topped generously with sea urchins, we encounter the flavors of the autumn sea where old tastes and new tastes become one.

*From "Mori-guksu," a local Pohang dish made by boiling all kinds of ingredients together—including fresh fish, bean sprouts, and noodles—to octopus fish cakes made with minced octopus meat and sea urchin seaweed rice cooked with plenty of sea urchins, we experience the flavors of the autumn sea where old tastes and new tastes become one.* ■ A New World of Flavors Prepared with Abundant Seafood

True to its reputation as the largest port on the East Coast, Pohang is abundant in seafood such as octopus, snow crab, and gwamegi (dried herring). However, it also holds a painful history of being a target of exploitation during the Japanese colonial period.

Having steadfastly endured those times, the seas of Pohang are now attempting a transformation into a new culinary culture.

From steaks and hamburgers made from minced gwamegi, to pasta and snow crab bruschetta using snow crab meat, and even fried octopus wraps that are new in both taste and appearance,

We encounter a dining table made richer and more delicious by the ideas of a young culinary researcher.

■ The Sea of ​​Gyeongju Embracing a Thousand Years of Silla History – The Story of the Salted Seafood Family at Gampo Port

Gyeongju, which holds the spirit of King Munmu who vowed to become a dragon protecting the country even after death, is a place that preserves a long history of the sea, evidenced by the establishment of Seonbu (Ship Office), Korea's first maritime administrative institution, during the Silla Dynasty. The sea of ​​Gyeongju, unfolding along the Padosori Trail that runs alongside the mysterious fan-shaped columnar joints, holds a long history of culinary traditions.

Gampo Port, an ancient harbor approaching its 100th anniversary since its opening, has long been famous for anchovy fishing. Mr. Kim Myeong-su has spent over 60 years making salted anchovies, starting with his grandfather who used to catch them.

You will encounter the nostalgic old foods of the Gyeongju sea: Jireong soy sauce, said to have been made with the water used to boil anchovies all night on fishing days; seasoned whole-rolled anchovies and maple leaf soybean kimchi, which make you finish a bowl of rice in no time; and the savory mackerel seaweed soup, made with fresh mackerel in the autumn.

■ Where the dreams of whales beat as the pulse of industry: What did the young women of Ulsan eat to survive?

Located at the southernmost point of the East Sea Sunrise Trail, Ulsan is a place where the sunrise at Ganjeolgot and the beautiful scenery of Daewangam Park make you pause in your tracks. Once renowned for whaling, it was also a central hub that led the industrialization of the 70s and 80s. Sinhwa Village is a place that still holds the memories of those days intact!

Sinhwa Village was established in the mid-1960s by migrants who had lost their homes due to the establishment of industrial complexes in Ulsan. They settled halfway up the mountain with the intention of living in harmony and renewing their lives.

During the heyday of whaling, whale meat, which was cheaper than pork, was a welcome and hearty meal for the villagers whose pockets were tight.

Whale meat is said to offer 12 different flavors depending on the cut! The lean meat is used to make yukhoe (raw beef dish), while the parts with skin are used to make the light and savory goraesuyuk (boiled whale meat).

From spicy gore-duruchigi (spicy stir-fried whale meat) seasoned with red chili powder to salted obaegi, you encounter the heartwarming meals of the people of Ulsan, who have worked hard day after day, comforting and supporting one another. Table of Korea (Thursdays 7:40 PM, KBS1)

“This Autumn, That Sea - East Sea Sunrise Taste Journey” (Aired October 11, 2018)

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