The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (Minister Chung Hwang-keun, MAFRA) holds a ceremony to celebrate the 3rd Kimchi Day at Namsangol Hanok Village in Seoul on Nov. 22, 2022.
Kimchi Day, November 22 (11/22) has a special meaning that each Kimchi ingredient gathers 1 by 1 to present over 22 signs of effectiveness.
Since its designation as a legal anniversary in 2022, this year marks the 3rd anniversary of Kimchi Day. Unlike its previous events, this year's celebration will be held outdoor at Namsangol Hanok Village where Korea’s traditional Korean houses and food come together to reflect on the value of Korean traditional culture.
On the day, an award ceremony is held for those who contributed to the development of the Kimchi industry and winners of the Kimchi Fair along with commemoration and congratulatory speeches, performances, exhibitions of Kimchi Fair winners, and exhibition/presentation/tasting of various kinds of Kimchi from all over the country. In related events, the Kimchi Cooking Contest and the Korea Kimchi Festival will be held.
Commemorating the 3rd Kimchi Day, a government decoration for the contribution to developing the Kimchi industry is garnered.
Yimjinkang Kimchi Inc. (CEO Kang Jeong-bok) receives the Industrial Service Medal for the contribution to developing the Korean food industry and promoting win-win development with local farmers. The company used Korean agricultural products including 350 tons of cabbage and 170 tons of radish annually and produced Kimchi in an area where its ingredients are produced in collaboration with local farmers.
Sunnong Food Co.,Ltd receives the Presidential Citation. The Prime Minister's Citation is garnered to AU G & J INC. (CEO Kim Jin-tae).
An award ceremony for the winners of the 11th Kimchi Fair is held.
The winner of the Highest Award of the 11th Kimchi Fair, Domisol Food Co. (CEO Park Mi-hui, a radish kimchi brand “Sagagsagag Chonggak Kimchi”) receives the Prime Minister’s Award. From this year, not just cabbage but also radish Kimchi brands participated in the award competition. It is noteworthy that radish Kimchi beat cabbage Kimchi to win the highest prize. The winner of the Grand Award, a Pogi Kimchi (Kimchi using the whole quarters of cabbage) “Sunnongwon Bon Pogi Kimchi” from Sunnong Food Co.,Ltd receives the Award of the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
The Award of the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Award of the CEO of Korea Agro‑Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. are garnered to three Excellence Award and three Winning Award winners respectively.
Various kinds of Kimchi representing Hamgyeong-do, Pyeongan-do, Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, Gangwon-do, Chungcheong-do, Jeolla-do, Gyeongsang-do, and Jeju-do are presented at the exhibition along with tastings led by Korean food masters.
In related events, the Kimchi Cooking Contest and the Korea Kimchi Festival will be held.
The 2022 Kimchi Cooking Contest will be held from 10am to 3pm on the same day at The Plaza Seoul hotel. Under the slogan of “2022 Kimchi Master Chef Global Mentoring”, eight teams of two people (a total of 16 people with former winners as mentors and international students majoring in culinary arts* as mentees) will compete in the Kimchi-themed cooking competition.
* Two American, one Chinese, one Japanese, three Vietnamese and three Israeli students
The 2022 Kimchi Cooking Contest will be aired by broadcasters around the world to promote the excellence of Kimchi, strengthen Korea’s status as the country of origin of Kimchi, and expand Kimchi exports. From November to December this year, various events such as making Kimchi by mixing ingredients, tastings of Kimchi, cooking shows with famous Korean chefs will be held and broadcasted in four countries including the United States, Vietnam, United Kingdom, and Korea.
Director General Yang Joo-phil of the Food Industry Policy Bureau said, “Kimchi is the best fermented food of all. Invented by Korean ancestors, Kimchi has been eaten for centuries by Koreans as a staple food. With a rising popularity of the Korean Wave such as K-Pop and K-Food, Kimchi, Korea’s proud and invaluable cultural heritage, is attracting attention from people around the world,” stressing that “celebrating the anniversary of the Kimchi Day, we hope that today will be a day to reflect on and promote the value and excellence of Kimchi.”