서울광장, 3일간 거대한 김치공장으로 변신...2018 서울김장문화제
As the end of this season approaches, people across the nation started making kimchi to prepare for the winter.
The 5th Seoul Kimchi Festival is taking place this weekend to giving visitors the chance to taste Korea’s unique flavor.
Yoon Jung-min provides a glimpse of what to expect.
Kimjang is the unique Korean culture of making and sharing kimchi, the traditional fermented food made of salted vegetables with a variety of seasonings.
Koreans traditionally make large amounts of kimchi in late autumn to prepare for the winter.
The kimjang culture brings families and neighbors together as making a large amount of kimchi requires cooperation. Kimjang was listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013.
To celebrate kimjang, the 5th Seoul Kimchi Festival kicked off at Seoul Plaza on Friday. During the three-day festival, more than 6,000 people will make 165 tons of Kimchi to donate to neighbors in need.
"Seoul Plaza, a public area right in the heart of the capital,... has been turned into an outdoor factory mass-producing Kimchi."
The weather is getting chilly but the hearts of the participants are warm as they prepare the food together and share it with their neighbors.
"I'm very happy. It is very interesting. Amazing and very, very cheerful for us."
On the other side of the plaza is an exhibition featuring 100 kinds of Kimchi.
Visitors can see, smell and taste traditional, modern Kimchi as well as North Korean varieties.
"People only know about Kimchi made of cabbages such as Pogi-Kimchi, but in fact, there are hundreds of kinds of Kimchi. I planned this exhibition to let citizens see and enjoy them."
The Seoul Kimchi Festival invites anyone who wishes to get a taste of Korea's unique flavor and experience kimjang culture.
Yoon Jung-min, Arirang News.
