Kimchi Sharing Events Heat up Across Busan
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Kimchi making event on Dec. 5 in the square in front of Sajik baseball stadium
Ahead of the beginning of the coldest season of the year, “I Love Kimjang” events have been taking place all over the city to share the joy of making this traditional Korean food. Many local companies here in Busan have taken the lead to promote these important events that provide food to those in need.About 180 managers and employees of Shinhan Financial Group Co. Ltd and the Busan Food Bank made about 6,000 kilograms of kimchi at the square located in front of Busan City Hall on November 30 to deliver to over 600 low-income families around the city.
Not far away, other kimchi making events aimed at providing food to those in need took place on December 5 and 6 in the squares in front of Sajik baseball stadium and Busan Station respectively. Over the two days, nearly 2000 volunteers from a number of local companies and organizations took part including Lotte Group Busan, Busan Metropolitan Fire & Safety, 119 Firefighters, the Busan Food and Drugs Administration, the 53rd Army Infantry Division, and the Korean Federation of Housewives clubs.
At an event that took place on November 14 at the square in front of the Nam-gu office building, the Korea Exchange (KRX), along with the Busan Food Bank donated the kimchi they made to 25 different social welfare facilities as well as 550 low-income families in Busan.
Kimchi making event on Dec. 5 in the square in front of Sajik baseball stadium
“Kimjang, making and sharing kimchi in the Republic of Korea” was added to the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage on Thursday, December 5, 2013.
Kimchi, an iconic Korean food made from fermented cabbage, has a long history and is an important cultural asset that has served to nurture the identity of the Korean people. In particular, the UNESCO designation acknowledged tha t kimchi making, known as ‘kimjang,’ has reinforced the solidarity and spirit of sharing among Koreans throughout the generations.
In late November and early December, Koreans make enough kimchi to last through the
winter. When doing so, relatives and neighbors gather to give a helping hand. According to a 2011 survey by the the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), a subsidiary body of the UNESCO Intangible Heritage Committee, 95 percent of Koreans eat kimchi everyday and 64 percent answered that they eat the side dish with every meal.The health benefits of kimchi are proven. It is full of lactic acid bacteria, fiber and vitamins. Many believe it is effective in helping cure diabetes, heart disease and obesity as well as preventing stomach and colorectal cancers. Kimchi is exported to 52 countries around the world as it has become loved by many.
To see a video on how to make kimchi, click here.
