Controversy Over Kimchi Labeled as "Pao Cai" in Seoul's Official Promotional Materials... City Vows Immediate Correction

Incorrect Translation in Seoul’s Chinese Website and Tourism Guidebook
‘Pao Cai’ Mistranslation Persists Despite Government’s ‘Xin Qi’ Labeling Guidelines

It has been confirmed that kimchi was translated as "Pao Cai (泡菜)," which refers to Chinese-style pickled vegetables, in promotional materials for Seoul tourism, sparking controversy. Although it has been five years since the government designated "Xin Qi (辛奇)" as the proper Chinese term for kimchi, some official promotional materials are still using the incorrect term.

Kimchi image to aid article understanding. Pixabay

According to Assemblywoman Kim Hyeyoung, a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council's Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee (People Power Party, Gwangjin District 4), kimchi stew was labeled as "Pao Cai Tang (泡菜湯)" on Seoul's official Chinese-language (both traditional and simplified) websites and in the "2025 Tourism Guidebook," which were distributed to the public. It was also confirmed that the kimchi museum "Museum Kimchikan" in Insadong, Jongno District, was translated into Chinese as the "Pao Cai Museum."

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's "Guidelines for Foreign Language Translation and Romanization of Public Terms," the correct Chinese term for kimchi is "Xin Qi." Kimchi is a uniquely Korean dish made by fermenting vegetables at low temperatures, using seasonings such as chili powder and garlic and various types of salted seafood, making it distinctly different from the Chinese pickled vegetable dish "Pao Cai." Nevertheless, the incorrect term "Pao Cai" was used in Seoul's promotional materials.

It is reported that complaints have been made regarding the problematic labeling of kimchi in these promotional materials.

In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Government stated, "We have confirmed that this was produced by our affiliated organization, the Seoul Tourism Organization, and that the incorrect labeling was exposed as is," adding, "We have requested immediate corrective action."

Assemblywoman Kim emphasized, "As cultural appropriation attempts such as the 'kimchi project' by neighboring countries like China continue, protecting kimchi as our own traditional food is an issue of cultural sovereignty," and stressed, "We must ensure that such absurd mistakes are never repeated."

Previously, after the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism established in 2021 that the correct Chinese translation and romanization of "kimchi" should be "Xin Qi (辛奇)" using the character for "spicy" (辛) rather than "Pao Cai," the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been working to revise the Chinese labeling of kimchi. Since September 2023, the city has organized citizen monitoring teams to help correct foreign language labeling errors and has distributed "Xin Qi" stickers to be attached to restaurant menus.

However, despite these efforts, the recent discovery of incorrect labeling in Seoul's official tourism promotional materials has led to calls for a more rigorous translation review and management system for public promotional materials.

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