Have you ever tried any of these foods?
![]() |
The Good Bad Mother (netflix.com/The Good Bad Mother) |
The Good Bad Mother has a story centered on a single mother named Jin Young Soon (Ra Mi Ran) who must take care of her only son, Choi Kang Ho (Lee Do Hyun).
Choi Kang Ho had a terrible accident and made him unable to move as usual. Unwilling to eat after being discharged from the hospital, Jin Young Soon persuades Choi Kang Ho with a variety of homemade dishes.
Including Jin Young Soon’s, here are ten Korean foods that are also featured in kdrama The Good Bad Mother. There are kimbap to bulgogi, you know!
1. Kimbap
![]() |
kimbap in the drama The Good Bad Mother (doc. JTBC/The Good Bad Mother) | kimbap illustration (pexels.com/Nadin Sh) |
While driving, Choi Hae Sik (Cho Jin Woong) enjoys the kimbap made by his wife, Jin Young Soon. He’s returning from the prosecutor’s office where he’s handling a dispute over his pig farm that Song Woo Byeok (Shoi Moo Sung) of Woobyeok Group wants to take over.
Kimbap is indeed a food similar to sushi and is often eaten as a lunch. For example, as a picnic or as a hunger suppressant. It consists of rice with various animal and vegetable fillings, then rolled in seaweed.
2. Yukjeon
![]() |
yukjeon in the drama The Good Bad Mother (doc. JTBC/The Good Bad Mother) | yukjeon illustration (commons.wikimedia.org/Choi2451) |
When Lee Mi Joo (Ahn Eun Jin) came home from school, her mother, Jung Gum Ja (Kang Mal Geum) was cooking dishes for the jesa (death anniversary ceremony) for her late grandmother. One of those dishes is yukjeon.
Like jeon in general, yukjeon also looks like bakwan in Indonesia. Yukjeon is one of the many variations of jeon. This pancake is made with thin meat wrapped in jeon dough.
3. Japchae
![]() |
japchae in the drama The Good Bad Mother (doc. JTBC/The Good Bad Mother) | japchae illustration (unsplash.com/GoodEats YQR) |
Jin Young Soon prepared a variety of dishes to celebrate his son’s birthday. For example, japchae. Unfortunately, Choi Kang Ho responded coldly, even when his mother delivered the dish to Seoul.
The main ingredient of japchae is Korean vermicelli or Korean glass noodle. In addition, there are also various vegetables and pieces of meat for the blend. Japchae is categorized as a banchan or side dish in Korea.
4. Kimci
![]() |
kimci in the drama The Good Bad Mother (doc. JTBC/The Good Bad Mother) | kimhi illustration (pexels.com/makafood) |
Welcoming the arrival of Choi Kang Ho and his fiancée, the villagers helped Jin Young Soon to cook the banquet. One of the things made was kimci prepared by Jung Gum Ja (Kang Mal Geum).
Kimci refers to fermented pickled vegetables mixed with spicy seasonings. Generally, the vegetables used are chicory and radish. Kimci is the most common and popular banchan served with white rice.
5. Ramyeon
![]() |
ramyeon in the drama The Good Bad Mother (doc. JTBC/The Good Bad Mother) | ramyeon and mandu illustration (unsplash.com/Edanur Ağaç) |
While his mother was out, young Choi Kang Ho secretly cooked ramyeon. While he was enjoying his ramyeon while watching a baseball game, his mother arrived. Instantly furious, his mother threw the television into the yard.
Ramyeon itself refers to the mention of instant noodles in Korean. Now, ramyeon can also be found in various countries outside South Korea. The flavor variants of ramyeon are very diverse, from vegetable to animal concepts.
6. Makgeolli
![]() |
makgeolli in the drama The Good Bad Mother (doc. JTBC/The Good Bad Mother) | makgeolli illustration (pixabay.com/macintoy) |
Although they sometimes argue with each other, the residents of Jouri Village are very close. They often eat meals together. On the table, in addition to various banchan, there are also several bottles of makgeolli.
Not only soju, makgeolli is another famous Korean alcoholic drink. Makgeolli refers to a traditional Korean alcoholic beverage made from steamed rice, which is then fermented. Makgeolli is characterized by its cloudy white color.
7. Bulgogi
![]() |
bulgogi in the drama The Good Bad Mother (doc. JTBC/The Good Bad Mother) | bulgogi illustration (commons.wikimedia.org/아침꿀물) |
Jin Young Soon served various dishes to whet the appetite of Choi Kang Ho who was recovering. Unfortunately, her son still had no appetite.
Jin Young Soon served various side dishes, one of which was bulgogi, a Korean beef dish. The thin slices of beef are combined with soy sauce, sugar and spices. She also served deodeok, kimjang, and doenjangjjigae.
8. Samgyetang
![]() |
samgyetang in the drama The Good Bad Mother (doc. JTBC/The Good Bad Mother) | samgyetang illustration (pixabay.com/makafood) |
Never one to give up, Jin Young Soon repeatedly changed the menu. This time, he served samgyetang. However, Choi Kang Ho (Lee Do Hyun) was still reluctant to eat.
This Korean-style ginseng chicken soup consists of young chicken served whole, boiled until tender, and combined with the main seasoning of ginseng. This dish is said to be good for recovery after being discharged from the hospital.
9. Hobakjuk
![]() |
hobakjuk in the drama The Good Bad Mother (doc. JTBC/The Good Bad Mother) | hobakjuk illustration (commons.wikimedia.org/nicole cho) |
Not only animal-based dishes, Jin Young Soon also served plant-based dishes, namely hobakjuk. However, her son still refused.
This Korean-style pumpkin porridge also comes with crushed soybeans and red beans. It has a soft texture and sweet flavor. Besides being nutritious, hobakjuk is also predicted to increase appetite.
10. Hoe
![]() |
hoe in the drama The Good Bad Mother (doc. JTBC/The Good Bad Mother) | hoe illustration (commons.wikimedia.org/Mar del Este) |
Lee Mi Joo (Ahn Eun Jin) and her colleagues held a meal at a restaurant with a mainstay menu of hoe. As it turned out, the waiter who served the dish was Choi Kang Ho whom she had not seen for a long time.
Hoe consists of various variations. In general, hoe refers to Korean food in the form of thin slices of fresh or raw fish. When eaten, hoe is generally dipped with sauces, such as chogochujang or ssamjang.
Korean specialties are also not absent and are also featured in the drama The Good Bad Mother. Various dishes are shown, including home cooking commonly made by mothers or eomma. Of the ten Korean foods above, which ones have you tried?