Meet: Becky Lee Smith – A British-Korean Cultural Ambassador on a mission and lifelong journey to understand more about herself and her Korean identity. As the founder of the K-Supper Club, and Co-founder of the Hanbok Wave she promotes Korean Culture, Food and History here in the UK.
Becky has all the necessary traits and attributes to be a wonderful ambassador for both Korea and England. She is kind and graceful with a sincere and genuine interest in people which makes liking her easy and instantaneous. If you are lucky to spend even a little while talking to Becky, you’ll find her to be an incredibly thoughtful, eloquent, intelligent young woman, all things that make her much loved within her community. Becky works so hard and puts her all into everything she does.
Becky chose to style herself as ‘Hanguk Hapa’ after some very careful deliberation. Firstly, Becky decided including ‘Hanguk’ in her name would be a great way to pique people’s interest. “I thought,” she shared, “it would serve as a good conversation starter.” As for the second half of the name, “Hapa,” Becky shared, “is a Hawaiian term for someone who has a mixed upbringing. I love that it doesn’t have a negative connotation like other similar phrases do, and that resonated with me. When I put Hanguk & Hapa together, it just clicked. I felt it had a nice ring to it and almost rolls off the tongue.”
Born to an English father and a Korean mother, Becky spoke candidly with me about how as a child she disregarded her Korean heritage. “I refused to acknowledge that part of who I am and pushed it all away. I even refused to learn the language. I recall my mum being very tearful about that. When I look back now I’m so grateful that she never gave up trying. There wasn’t one reason for this but I think my main denial stemmed from people not believing my father was my father when I was a child. I looked more Korean when I was young and my skin was darker. When I got older and didn’t see anyone that looked like me on screen, I felt like an outsider. I didn’t want to look Korean. I wanted to have green eyes and blonde hair like other members of my English family.”
“The main turning point for me when I first remember looking at Korea in a positive light was at around age fifteen. I was learning how to dance at that time, and my friends introduced me to a Korean band (Wonder Girls) who made music which is great to dance to. I remember thinking how cool it was that my friends (non-Koreans) had introduced me to a Korean group I previously knew nothing about. I’d always known I was half-Korean, of course, but this introduction was life-changing for me. It was the first time I had the experience of Korea being something cool.”
Becky started creating content as Hanguk Hapa following the pandemic and has been evolving ever since. Her early content featured her home-cooked meals and how important Korean food is to her. “Korean food is,” she added, “ingrained in my identity and the closest relationship I have to my Korean identity comes from it. Food was my mum’s way of teaching me about Korea,” Becky shared with a smile.
“It is,” Becky continued, “largely due to my mother that I have been able to develop, at least when it comes to Korean food, discerning taste buds, even if I’m not the world’s best cook. She always fed me the best of Korean food and taught me how to tell if bad ingredients have been used. I can tell even if they’ve used the wrong sesame oil. I can taste the difference – not just in the taste, but also the smell.”
Hanguk Hapa has been an amazing experience for Becky that has allowed her to meet and connect with “so many amazing people I would not have otherwise had the opportunity to do so had I stayed within my comfort zone. When I first started out, I was apprehensive about how seriously people would take my efforts to promote Korean culture given that I’m not ‘full’ Korean. However, over time I’ve realised that this does not matter. Everything I do is through my own lens and my own authentic perspectives.”
When her online presence began growing, Becky decided to promote local businesses in New Malden. Her goal in this regard is to support the generation that runs them and play a part in ensuring they get the recognition they deserve. “They are,” she said, “very much the embodiment of the Korean mindset. They work so hard to ensure their children have a better life and a better education, but their stories are important too, and I want them to have the spotlight and recognition they deserve.”
Becky and I met for this interview at a coffee shop in New Malden, which is a London suburb and a special place. Not only is it home to the largest Korean community from across Europe, but something especially unique to New Malden is that South Koreans and North Koreans are able to live there alongside each other. With South Korea doing so well on the world stage, Becky feels strongly that “the experiences of those who have left North Korea should also be heard. We need to know what these people go through, and understand their trauma, their journey, treatment, loss, and what issues they are currently facing.” Becky shared with me that whilst she does not have any grand political ideals, and may not have a voice when it comes to matters of policy, these are issues close to her heart and she is able to do her best to help people who live here, and host events to amplify all Korean voices.
This of course led our conversation nicely onto the K-Supper Club, which was an idea Becky had for a long while before it came to fruition. The K-Supper Club, as the name suggests, is a monthly supper club at Korean restaurants which Becky feels uphold authenticity and serve high quality Korean food and cater to a wide audience without any compromise to their flavours. “I thought to myself in early 2024,” Becky shared, “that if I didn’t start it now I never would, and that since the pandemic there is a real need for people to come together and create good memories. I felt the best way for me to do so was to promote authentic Korean food made right here in New Malden,” so that people can experience the high quality that makes Korean food so incredible.”
The K-Supper Club’s popularity is growing every month and this makes Becky feel happy and proud about what she has created. “I love seeing the friendships people have formed, and that there is a safe space for those who enjoy Korean culture to meet and share their knowledge. It has become a really nice community and I’m looking to see it grow authentically over time.” In terms of plans for 2025, although Becky teased that she has several plans for the supper club that she is working, on she is also playing things by ear.
If you’re looking for great places to go for Korean food, then here is a list (with a link to the restaurants’ Instagram) of the restaurants the Supper Club has visited over the last year:-
- Zazza (@zazza_restaurant)
- SSAM SSAM (@ssamssamwimbledon)
- Imone (@imone.koreanrestaurant)
- Chick and Beers (@chickandbeers)
- Gamnamuzip (@Gamnamu.zip_london)
- Hanjan (@hanjannewmalden)
- Imone BBQ (@imonebbq)
- Oh Gee Chicken (@ohgeechicken)
- GGM (@ggmrestaurant) – FYI: GGM stands for generation to generation memories
- Jang (@jang.london)
- Zazza (@zazza_restaurant)
Supper Club number 12 will be at Shabu& (@shabu.and)
Another aspect of Becky’s cultural endeavours is to promote the Hanbok, the Korean tradition clothing, which she does through the HanbokWave UK, a project Becky co-founded with her friend and fellow Hanbok lover Mikey Espinosa. The Hanbok, known as the clothing of the wind is a beautiful garment which the duo hope to share with the world and bring people together through fashion. You’ll often spot them looking resplendent at a Korean event.
The Hanbok has always been part of Becky’s life and I was delighted when she shared with me her first experience of wearing one of the special garments at her Grandfather’s 80th birthday party when she was seven years old:
“It was a huge celebration with a venue and all of my mother’s side of the family were there. I was going to be part of the ceremony so I had to choose an outfit to wear. I was being stubborn that day, refused to wear a Hanbok and insisted on wearing a Western dress, even though everyone else was wearing a Hanbok. The dress I picked looked great but it was very itchy which gave me a rash. Fortunately, and unbeknownst to me, my mum had prepared a Hanbok for me to wear. I remember at the time saying I didn’t want to wear it and risk people seeing me, someone who isn’t Korean wearing it. But, I forgot all about that the moment I put it on. I do remember thinking how comfortable it was. I also remember looking in the mirror and thinking I looked Korean. My family were very kind and supportive, and I felt accepted, even though at the time I felt like I wasn’t Korean. I thought of the clothing as being theirs, not mine. This is a really important memory to me because it was the first time I felt like a Korean. I still had battles afterwards, and still rejected that but having the memory of that day, and the picture we took all together is now a really special memory. I remember how happy my Grandfather was seeing me wearing the Hanbok, which made me happy to. He said to me, “never stop wearing the Hanbok”.
The happiness Becky felt recounting this special memory shone on her face, and continued as she added: “I love the Hanbok. It’s so beautiful and wearing it makes you feel so special. I love how it flows.”
Through the Hanbok Wave, “Mikey and I have been able to find our own ways of showcasing that you do not have to be Korean to wear a Hanbok, modern or otherwise.”
When we met, Becky said that it had been a while since someone interviewed her, and our conversation had allowed her to reflect on how far she has come.
“I am at a stage in my life where I’m really comfortable with who I am. I accept that I may never know everything about Korean culture, or speak the language fluently and that I’m very much on a lifelong journey. When I first started out I thought I had to know everything about Korean’s history, culture and food because I didn’t want to look like a fool but not knowing is part of the journey itself and I invite people to join that with me.”
I’m excited to see what is next but I’m sure that whatever Becky does will be brilliant.
Please do check out her projects by following the below links:
Bonus:
Becky showed Taste Cadets around London! Check out the video below
