Cheong Jeong Won sells kimchi labelled as “pao cai”
China’s Northeast Project
A company that labels kimchi as “pao cai”
“Kimchi” is a traditional food
[해외특파원 1기 / 조준원 기자] Recently, China has been conducting a controversial Northeast Project which attempts to undermine traditional Korean culture, insisting that kimchi is a Chinese dish. China refers to kimchi as “pao cai” and claims that it originated from China, making Koreans infuriated. As a result, the Korean government is confronting this issue along with corporations of the likes of CJ and Bibigo by changing “pao cai” to “shin chi.” Unlike other companies, however, the corporation Cheong Jeong Won chose to continue using the label “pao cai.”
On the 22nd of July, the South Korean government amended a law on foreign language notation, requiring China’s label for kimchi to be “shin chi” rather than “pao cai.” Despite the fact that two months have passed since the legal revision was introduced, Cheong Jeong Won is still labelling its kimchi products as “pao cai.”
The picture attached above was taken on September 12th, 2021, clearly showing the label “pao cai” being used on Cheong Jeong Won’s kimchi products.
How, then, did people react to Cheong Jeong Won’s sale of kimchi under the name “pao cai” in China? Most were surprised or upset, and few indicated no interest in this issue.
Additionally, one of China’s famous Youtuber’s (“李子柒 Liziqi”) video has become viral in South Korea as she referred to Kimchi as “Chinese cabbage” and “Chinese food”, promoting kimchi as a type of Chinese food. As more people became aware of the video, people around the world have been criticising the way the Youtuber referred to Kimchi. Firstly, Koreans commented raging at the fact that “Liziqi” was manipulating the audience’s view on Kimchi. Some comments included fact telling, sourcing their facts on historical data. Although this reaction was expected, it was a surprise to see foreigner’s react to the video. Many were speechless and commented that the Chinese were feeling ‘inferior’ to the rich South Korean culture. Some had commented “Kimchi is Korean food, please respect other countries’ culture. Don’t think every culture is from China” – this comment received many likes.
“Kimchi” has gained fame worldwide and is enjoyed by people from various countries. Notably, Mark Ruffalo, a Hollywood actor who famously starred in Hulk, once said that he likes kimchi so much that he makes kimchi by himself.
Kimchi is a traditional Korean food and a valuable cultural asset for Koreans. It should be made known that kimchi is completely different from “pao cai.”
