[Edaily Reporter KIM JI-WAN ] “You know, that thing. What’s it called? The yellow, round one….”

Seoul, 2056. Young-sik (played by Kwon Hae-hyo), 61, can’t quite recall the name of his favorite dessert, “madeleine.” He reorders LPs he already has at home and struggles to get the seasoning right on dishes he used to make with ease. Even the insulin syringe his wife has been using for over three months feels as unfamiliar to him as if he were seeing it for the first time.

These are scenes from the short film “Youngsik’s Tea,” a joint production by JTBC and SKCHEMICALS(285130), with medical consultation and review provided by the Korean Academy of Dementia. The film shows how changes that begin with minor “forgetfulness” gradually spread to memory, language, judgment, and daily life.

When analyzed from a medical perspective, the signs of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early-stage Alzheimer’s disease hidden within the film become much clearer.

If you’ve bought the same item again… it might not just be simple forgetfulness

As people age, it’s common to momentarily struggle to recall the names of people or objects. Looking at just the one scene where Young-sik momentarily couldn’t remember the word “Madeleine,” it’s difficult to distinguish this from normal aging.

However, in the film, other changes follow in quick succession. He leaves the items he ordered at a café, mistakes 5:00 p.m. for 7:00 p.m., and drives off with a cup of coffee on the roof of his car. He buys an LP he already owns.

In particular, “duplicate purchases” are different in nature from simply being unable to recall a single word. Since he cannot remember the recent experience of buying the item itself, this suggests a problem with “episodic memory”—the ability to store and recall new information.

According to a 2014 paper titled “Neural correlates of spatial navigation changes in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease,” published in the international journal *Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience*, Alzheimer’s disease often begins with gradual damage to the brain regions responsible for storing new memories. In particular, since the hippocampus and surrounding areas are affected first, symptoms such as repeatedly forgetting a story heard recently or an action just performed may appear in the early stages.

Therefore, if you find yourself repeatedly forgetting recent events or conversations, or start repeating the same questions and behaviors, you should not simply dismiss it as “just a sign of aging.”

If you can’t season food properly or familiar objects seem unfamiliar… it’s a “warning sign” for cognitive function

. As the film progresses, Young-sik’s problems go beyond mere memory issues.

He can’t immediately recall his children’s names and stares at the insulin syringe his wife uses every day as if seeing it for the first time. He even struggles to season food properly—a task he used to handle with ease.

Cooking is, surprisingly, a highly cognitive activity. It requires remembering the necessary ingredients, planning the cooking sequence, tasting the food, and then identifying and correcting any deficiencies. It simultaneously engages not only memory but also attention, judgment, and executive function.

Changes in the sense of smell are also worth examining. A meta-analysis paper titled “Olfactory function in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease: A meta-analysis), found that patients with MCI and Alzheimer’s disease had poorer olfactory function—particularly the ability to distinguish and identify odors—than healthy older adults.

Therefore, a single instance of food tasting strange cannot be considered a sign of dementia. However, the situation is different if repeated mistakes occur in tasks that were previously performed with ease, accompanied by changes in memory and language.

Kim Hee-jin, a professor in the Department of Neurology at Hanyang University Hospital, said, “If changes in memory or behavior that differ from usual patterns recur or begin to affect daily life, it is important not to dismiss them as simple aging but to consult with a healthcare professional to assess your current condition.”

See a Doctor Before Taking ‘Brain Supplements’… The Golden Window for MCI Treatment

Like Young-sik in the film, he is mostly able to manage daily life, but his memory and judgment have noticeably declined compared to before. His wife, Mi-kyung, no longer dismisses Young-sik’s unusual behavior as simple forgetfulness and urges him to see a doctor. Medically speaking, this timing is crucial.

This is because, at the stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI)—where daily life is still manageable but memory and judgment have declined compared to before—it is possible to identify the cause and begin management.

Not all cases of MCI progress to dementia. At the hospital, doctors use cognitive function tests, MRIs, amyloid PET scans, and blood tests to determine whether changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease have actually begun.

At this stage, the basic approach involves exercise, managing blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol, and cognitive training; depending on the patient’s condition, medications such as standardized ginkgo biloba extract may also be considered as treatment options.

The problem arises when people who feel their memory isn’t what it used to be turn to so-called “brain supplements” before even visiting a doctor. Dietary supplements are not medications intended to diagnose or treat diseases. They are recognized for their functionality in “helping to improve cognitive function that has declined due to aging,” but they are not approved as treatments for mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease.

Ultimately, the scene in the movie where Mi-kyung urges Young-sik to visit the hospital is not just a simple plot point. It conveys the film’s core message: rather than waiting until the condition has progressed to dementia to seek treatment, it is essential to detect and manage the condition starting at the mild cognitive impairment stage.

Kim Hee-jin, a professor in the Department of Neurology at Hanyang University Hospital, emphasized, “Only when we recognize the problem can we begin to address it and improve the situation,” adding, “Some people think going to the hospital is like receiving a death sentence, but there are plenty of ways to approach the issue.”

Twelve years after a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment—what’s the secret to preventing the progression of dementia?

At the end of *Young-sik’s Story*

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Young-sik and his wife finally decide to go to the hospital.

This may be the most important scene in the film. This is because the moment one acknowledges memory decline is not the beginning of dementia, but rather the start of treatment and management.

Professor Kim Hee-jin also shared a case from her actual clinical practice that illustrates this point.

Following the premiere of “Youngsiksti” on the 16th, Professor Kim emphasized, “One patient was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment in 2014. Thanks to management measures—such as taking 240 mg of ginkgo biloba extract—12 years have passed, and the condition has not progressed to dementia.”

In fact, a research team led by Professor Yang Young-soon of the Department of Neurology at Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital published a study titled “Efficacy of Ginkgo biloba extract in amyloid PET-positive patients with mild cognitive impairment” in the international journal *Frontiers in Neurology* in August 2025.

The results were surprising. Among the 42 patients who took 240 mg of ginkgo biloba extract daily, not a single one progressed to Alzheimer’s dementia, whereas 13.6% of the 22 patients in the control group progressed to dementia. The ginkgo biloba extract group also maintained better cognitive function and activities of daily living. In particular, the MDS-OAβ—a marker reflecting the degree to which beta-amyloid, the protein responsible for dementia, tends to aggregate in the blood, indicating changes at the stage prior to the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain—also decreased. This study followed 64 patients with mild cognitive impairment for 12 months.

Professor Kim emphasized, “If you are aware of your condition and take proactive steps, you can maintain your independence and self-esteem.”

Broadcaster Hong Hye-geol (M.D.) emphasized on his YouTube channel that human self-esteem stems from “whether I can control my own body” and “whether I can make decisions about my own life.” In other words, the ability to control bladder and bowel functions, along with cognitive function, are the last two pillars supporting dignity in old age.

As the movie says, “The time to go to the hospital isn’t after you’ve completely lost your memory, but right when you start to feel that ‘something is different from before.’”