On the 75th anniversary of the Korean War, the Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) has launched the “Remembering the Korean War Through Hansik” campaign, aiming to share with the world the stories of foods that sustained people during the conflict. Dishes such as rice balls, stir-fried starch noodles, and barley cakes were more than just meals—they became symbols of survival, resilience, and community solidarity. The campaign seeks to highlight the memories and meaning carried by these foods, reminding people of both the scars of war and the value of peace.
Using AI technology, VANK has produced videos that feature wartime foods including rice balls, canned bibimbap, barley rice cakes, Busan stir-fried noodles, and Busan pork soup. Recreating meals once eaten by refugees and soldiers, the videos go beyond simple food introductions, serving instead as cultural diplomacy content that shares historical memory with audiences worldwide through VANK’s social media channels.
The foods introduced in the videos are all based on real historical examples. Rice balls were military rations delivered to the frontlines by civilian carriers and often represented a lifeline. Canned bibimbap became the first combat ration of the Korean army. Barley cakes made by refugees, stir-fried noodles boiled from starch, and pork soup made from bones provided by U.S. military units all played a role in helping people survive in different regions and circumstances.
This campaign is part of VANK’s global Hallyu project, the “2025 PLAY K-FOOD WORLD CUP,” a cultural diplomacy initiative to promote the history and identity contained in Hansik. Co-hosted by VANK, the Korea Culture Foundation, and Sports Donga, the project invites global participation in the form of online challenges. Alongside balance-game style short-form content, K-pop stars including Fifty Fifty, Xodiac, and Park Ji-hoon are also taking part, adding further excitement.
Last year, VANK’s “Independence Activists’ Hansik Challenge” received strong international attention by using AI to recreate foods of independence activists, such as An Hee-je’s manggae tteok (rice cake), Jeong Jeong-hwa’s kimchi, and General Noh Baek-rin’s naengmyeon (cold noodles). This year, the group has expanded that effort to the history of the Korean War, developing it into a practice of sharing “history within food” with the world, beyond merely promoting Hansik.
“There were foods that sustained lives even in times of war and hardship,” said VANK head Park Ki-tae. “This campaign is about reminding the world of the roots of Hansik and sharing the tragedy of war and the importance of peace through food—the most human of mediums.” He added, “Using AI to restore memories of the past and expand them into global content will help shift the meaning of food culture from mere ‘taste’ to ‘memory,’ advancing cultural diplomacy.”
Jeong In-sung, a youth researcher who planned the campaign, explained, “We wanted to share with the world the survival and community spirit contained in a single meal. In particular, we explored how wartime food connects with today’s Hansik to reveal the deep cultural roots of K-food.” Hong Dan-bi, the youth researcher in charge of video production, added, “AI-recreated Hansik from the Korean War is not just a food reproduction but a cultural symbol that reflects the lives and communal spirit of Koreans at the time.”
Meanwhile, the “2025 PLAY K-FOOD WORLD CUP” will run through December. Participating videos can be viewed on VANK’s social media (@vank_prkorea) and on StyleD magazine’s Instagram (@styled_news).