Amid the 'Kimchi Process' Controversy... Chinese Media Ask, "Is There a Need to Decide the 'King of Kimchi'?"

Chinese State Media Global Times: "Reflecting Thousands of Years of Korea-China Relations"

Ambassador Jang Jun stated on his Twitter account on the 3rd, "Winter life can be diverse and enjoyable," adding, "One way to experience this is by eating homemade kimchi." / Photo by Jang Jun, Twitter capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Amid controversy over China's attempt to incorporate kimchi, a traditional Korean food, into its own culture?so-called the 'Kimchi Process'?Chinese media have reported that "there is no need to determine the king of kimchi."

The Global Times, the English edition of the Communist Party's official newspaper People's Daily, reported on the 14th (local time) that kimchi is commonly made and eaten in Liaoning Province in northeastern China.

According to the outlet, some areas in Liaoning Province are home to ethnic Koreans (Joseonjok), who frequently eat kimchi.

This report by the Global Times came after Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations Zhang Jun introduced kimchi on his Twitter account on the 3rd. At that time, Ambassador Zhang posted a photo of freshly made kimchi, writing, "One way to enjoy winter is by eating homemade kimchi."

In response, some Korean netizens commented on Ambassador Zhang's tweet, saying things like "Kimchi is Korean food" and "Thank you for introducing traditional Korean food, kimchi."

A famous Chinese YouTuber uploaded a video of making kimchi and introduced it as "Chinese food," causing controversy. / Photo by YouTube capture

Regarding this, the Global Times pointed out that Ambassador Zhang is also from Liaoning Province and emphasized that the "kimchi clash" between Korea and China merely reflects the fact that the two countries have had cultural and culinary relations for thousands of years, so there is no need to claim the title of "king of kimchi."

Meanwhile, controversy over the 'Kimchi Process' arose recently as some Chinese media introduced kimchi as Chinese food. The Kimchi Process is interpreted as a play on the 'Northeast Project,' a claim by some Chinese scholars that all Northeast Asian cultures originated in China, applied to kimchi.

Earlier, Chinese local media such as the Global Times reported on November 24 last year that an international standard for the kimchi industry, led by China, was officially established. At that time, the Global Times reported that 'pao cai,' a pickled vegetable dish from Sichuan, China, received approval from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), framing it as a humiliation for Korea, the "home country of kimchi."

On the 9th, controversy flared when some Chinese media introduced a video of Chinese YouTuber Li Ziqi, who has 14 million subscribers, making kimchi as "Chinese food." Li Ziqi had also used hashtags such as '#TraditionalChineseCuisine (#ChineseCuisine)' and '#ChineseFood (#ChineseFood)' in her kimchi-making video.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.