'Stealing our culture': Kimchi ferments cultural feud between South Korea and China
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China's efforts to win an international certification for Pao Cai, a pickled vegetable dish from Sichuan, is turning into a social media showdown between Chinese and South Korean netizens over the origin of Kimchi, a staple Korean cuisine made of cabbage
Online media users in China and South Korea are entangled in another column, this time over the provenance of kimchi, the aged cabbage dish that the vast majority perceive as a basic piece of the Korean eating regimen.
Not, however, in China, where state media have started an online reaction after one of the nation's matured dishes got affirmation from the International Organization for Standardization [ISO].
According to the Global Times, the certification from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for Pao Cai was "an international standard for the Kimchi industry led by China."
It all began with the Chinese state-run tabloid @globaltimesnews’ effort to describe the achievement as “an international standard for the Kimchi industry led by China.” South Korean media accused #China of trying to make Kimchi a kind of Chinese Pao Cai.
— William Yang (@WilliamYang120) November 30, 2020
China's efforts to win an international certification for Pao Cai, a pickled vegetable dish from Sichuan, is turning into a social media showdown between Chinese and South Korean netizens over the origin of Kimchi, a staple Korean cuisine made of cabbage.
South koreans and chinese people r fighting rn bc china won best kimchi and got an international certificate for it 😭😭😭😭
— injae apologist (@seoulnoodles) November 30, 2020
I love Kimchi.
— Dr. Ewa J (@Ewa80998656) November 30, 2020
As well, I make Pao cai myself at home sometimes.
However, "Pao cai" is a genetic word given to all types of pickling vegetable in China in terms of materials of the veggie and radishes. Regarding the veggie, the categories divided by the regions and climates. https://t.co/fUe4KaosFA
South Korean media was fast to dispute such a claim and accuse the bigger neighbor of trying to make Kimchi a type of China-made Pao Cai.
“Its total nonsense, what a thief stealing our culture!” a South Korean netizen wrote on Naver.com, a widely popular web portal.
“I read a media story that China now says Kimchi is theirs, and that they are making international standard for it, It’s absurd. I’m worried that they might steal Hanbok and other cultural contents, not just Kimchi,” said Kim Seol-ha, a 28-year old in Seoul.
Some South Korean media even described the episode as China’s “bid for world domination,” while some social media comments flagged concerns that Beijing was exercising “economic coercion.”
On China’s Twitter-like Weibo, Chinese netizens were claiming Kimchi as their country’s own traditional dish, as most of the Kimchi consumed in South Korea is made in China.
“Well, if you don’t meet the standard, then you’re not kimchi,” one wrote on Weibo. “Even the pronunciation of kimchi originated from Chinese, what else is there to say,” wrote another.
South Korea’s agriculture ministry on Sunday released a statement saying mainly that the ISO approved standard does not apply to Kimchi.
“It is inappropriate to report (about Pao Cai winning the ISO) without differentiating Kimchi from Pao Cai of China’s Sichuan,” the statement said.
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