Jeonnam Province's 'Domestic Kimchi Usage Labeling System' Spreads Nationwide

Nationwide First Implementation of 'Exemplary Cases of Proactive Administration' Draws Attention

[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province's 'Domestic Kimchi Usage Labeling System,' the first initiative in the nation jointly promoted with private organizations, is spreading nationwide.

On the 2nd, the province announced that the 'Domestic Kimchi Usage Certified Business Labeling System,' jointly promoted with the private organization Domestic Kimchi Voluntary Labeling Committee (Korea Kimchi Association) for the first time in the country, is gaining attention as a model case of proactive administration.

At the end of April, during the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' meeting on the 'Domestic Kimchi Voluntary Labeling System,' Jeonnam's public-private collaboration model was selected as an excellent case, leading to its expansion to metropolitan cities and provinces such as Ulsan, Chungnam, and Busan, following Gyeongbuk and Chungbuk.

The 'Domestic Kimchi Usage Certified Business Labeling System' was initially promoted solely by the Domestic Kimchi Voluntary Labeling Committee.

Amid rising consumer interest in food safety due to recent videos of 'naked pickling' of Chinese kimchi and outbreaks of food poisoning bacteria, Jeonnam Province and the Domestic Kimchi Voluntary Labeling Committee signed a business agreement in April to use this as a stepping stone for revitalizing Jeonnam's kimchi industry.

Jeonnam Province handles promotion and application reception, while the Domestic Kimchi Voluntary Labeling Committee conducts review, deliberation, certificate issuance, and post-management. City and county governments, the provincial education office, and the Jeonnam branch of the Korea Foodservice Industry Association also cooperate.

With the system's expansion, it is expected to achieve fivefold benefits: ▲eradication of acts where imported kimchi is disguised and sold as domestic ▲replacement of imported kimchi with domestic kimchi in restaurants ▲guarantee of consumers' right to know ▲creation of an atmosphere to promote kimchi consumption ▲increase in income for farmers cultivating napa cabbage, garlic, and chili peppers.

The province plans to expand the designation of the Domestic Kimchi Voluntary Labeling System to 5,000 locations, including restaurants, schools, hospitals, and public institutions, by September.

Lee Hayeon, president of the Korea Kimchi Association, said, “Although six years have passed since the private sector-led initiative began in 2016, it had not spread or settled. However, as Jeonnam Province's public-private collaborative promotion model became known, it has received favorable reviews from the public,” adding, “The Domestic Kimchi Voluntary Labeling System has become an opportunity to establish itself as a guardian of safe dining tables.”

Until the end of last year, only one general restaurant in the Jeonnam region, located in Damyang, had been designated under the voluntary labeling system. Within just over a month after introducing the system, about 500 new locations applied for designation.

Jeonnam Province plans to continue various consumption promotion measures linked to the Domestic Kimchi Usage Certified Business Labeling System, such as domestic kimchi discount events, events encouraging the use of voluntarily labeled businesses, and domestic kimchi consumption promotion campaigns.

Governor Kim Young-rok stated, “I am very pleased that Jeonnam Province's nationwide first public-private collaborative model for the Domestic Kimchi Usage Certified Business Labeling System is spreading to other metropolitan local governments and raising nationwide interest in domestic kimchi,” adding, “We will expand the labeling system so that consumers can identify certified businesses using domestic kimchi outside restaurants, and as the birthplace of Korean kimchi, Jeonnam Province will lead the development of a kimchi industry that the public can trust and enjoy safely.”

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