The Chinese name for kimchi in the product description is written as 'Paochai'. Photo by Online Community Capture
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] GS25, which was previously accused of producing a misogynistic poster, is now embroiled in controversy for labeling kimchi as 'Paochai (泡菜)' on its rice ball product.
Recently, a post appeared on an online community pointing out that the Chinese name for kimchi in the product description of GS25's 'Spam Egg Kimchi Fried Rice Ball' was written as Paochai. The author criticized, "In English and Japanese, it is all written as kimchi, but in Chinese, it becomes Paochai fried rice?" and added, "After feminism, now this... they go too far."
The attached product description in the post showed kimchi written phonetically in alphabet and katakana, but in Chinese, it was written as 'Paochai.' Paochai is a type of Chinese pickled food, and recently, China has been asserting that "kimchi originated from Paochai," sparking disputes between Korea and China.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs created the term 'Sinchi' using Chinese characters meaning 'spicy (辛)' and 'rare (奇)' eight years ago, considering that the Chinese language lacks the 'gi' sound. It is reported that the government is currently working on revising laws to promote the use of the Chinese-style name 'Sinchi.'
GS25 stated, "For the convenience of foreigners visiting Korea, we label product names in English, Japanese, and Chinese simultaneously," and added, "We will collect customer feedback and improve the foreign language product name labeling as soon as possible."
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