Kimchi: A Global Bridge Connecting Cultures Through Korean Tradition

Photo by Taemin Shin

What if a simple Korean side dish could become a symbol of cultural connection, sparking interest and understanding across borders? Kimchi, a traditional food from Korea, has been experiencing globalization these days. Kimchi is a traditional food(side dish) from Korea that is made mostly of cabbage or other salted vegetables. These days, kimchi has been gaining popularity globally. More fans of kimchi started to appear from all around the world. This gives us a chance to connect to the world using kimchi. This can help us to share Korean culture and to communicate with other cultures. 

The globalization of kimchi is important to Korea because it helps others to understand

Korean culture also lets Korean culture be connected with other countries. According to NPR, “The traditional dish is so essential to the nation's culture and identity that the government promotes it globally in an effort to foster understanding and peace among countries.” These quotes show us clearly that kimchi helps us to understand the culture of different countries. By sharing kimchi with other cultures, Korea lets others experience kimchi and this leads to cultures communicating with each other. Kimchi’s international globalization also contributes to Korean music, film, fashion, history, and many other cultural factors. Kimchi also interested a lot of foreigners too. Kimchi’s appeal attracted a lot of people outside of Korea and was able to gain some positive ratings too. 

To conclude, the globalization of kimchi offers foreign people a chance to connect with Korean culture. Kimchi acts as a bridge between Korea and the world. This is a symbol of cultural exchange between Korean culture and other cultures outside Korea.

Sisters, K. (2016, August 22). How South Korea uses kimchi to connect to the world — and beyond. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/08/22/489805398/how- south-korea-uses-kimchi-to-connect-to-the-world-and-beyond