Park Tae-hwan, who already filled his pension points in high school... Time spent with Haenam's seaweed table

Park Tae-hwan, a former national swimming representative, visited Ttangkeut Village in Haenam, Jeollanam-do, to spend time tasting local seaweed specialties. According to the TV CHOSUN 'Home-Style Meal Travels' video, Park Tae-hwan visited the area near Songho Beach in Haenam and was presented with a table set with seaweed.

"Points already filled in high school"... Park Tae-hwan's story about medals

In the video, Park Tae-hwan shared specific stories regarding the achievements he accumulated as a swimming athlete in the past. Park Tae-hwan mentioned the 200m, 400m, and 1500m as the events he competed in. In particular, regarding the pension system according to medals, he said, "The pension is actually already fixed now," and "Once the points are filled, the amount that can be received is fixed, but for me, those points were already filled back in high school."

He continued, regarding the points earned in competitions such as the World Championships, Olympic Games, and Asian Games that he participated in after high school, "At that time, those points are paid out in a lump sum." Regarding the amount of pension he received at the time, Park Tae-hwan joked that it "isn't much" and is about the amount needed to buy the meal he is currently facing.

A seaweed table containing Haenam's nature and harvesting halophytes

Visiting a restaurant in Haenam, Park Tae-hwan was served a meal prepared with local seaweed specialties. The seaweed course prepared by the restaurant owner included as many as twenty side dishes, such as kosiraegi, Samda seaweed, seaweed pancakes, halophytes (hamcho), gompi, and cold seaweed soup. In particular, Park Tae-hwan checked the taste while mentioning the chewy texture of kosiraegi, which is called 'sea noodles'.

The restaurant owner explained the process of harvesting wild seaweed and introduced ingredients such as toshi that were harvested directly from the sea. The owner mentioned that it is difficult to obtain toshi these days and explained that they go out on a boat to harvest it. This was followed by an explanation of halophytes (hamcho). Halophytes are plants that grow where waves crash, and when new shoots appear, the top part is cut and used. Park Tae-hwan joined the atmosphere of the site by touching the halophytes himself and watching the harvesting process.