China resumes imports of South Korean kimchi

By Park Sae-jin Posted : August 26, 2016, 14:46 Updated : August 26, 2016, 14:46

[Photo by Namkung Junwoong = timeid@ajunews.com]



China has eased its strict hygienic standard to resume imports of kimchi, a spicy and sour traditional Korean side dish made by fermenting vegetables -- usually cabbage -- with red chili, garlic, ginger, and other spices, agriculture officials said Friday.

In 2010, Beijing effectively banned imports of kimchi under its tight hygienic standard applied equally to Chinese pickled cabbage Paocai, requiring less than three colon bacterium to be found in every 100 grams of kimchi.

It was hard for South Korean kimchi makers to meet China's requirements as kimchi uses uncooked vegetables while Paocai made with steamed cabbages carried almost no colon bacterium.

Under China's sterilization process, kimchi should have killed off every microorganism needed for fermentation. As a result, only a small amount of cooked kimchi has been exported to China.

At a summit between South Korean and Chinese leaders last year, Beijing agreed to revise its standard on kimchi. Now South Korean kimchi makers hope to ship some 500 tons of kimchi by 2017, according to the agriculture ministry.

UNESCO, the cultural wing of the United Nations, said in late 2015 that the process of making kimchi is being considered to receive Intangible Cultural Heritage status awarded to practices and arts which are especially important to world heritage and cultural diversity.

Aju News Park Sae-jin = swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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