"No Misunderstanding Hoped For"... The Truth Behind China's 'Barefoot Red Pepper Powder' Video

A video by a Chinese netizen who raised suspicions that someone was stepping on red pepper powder.
[Photo captured from Social Networking Service (SNS)]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Recently, a so-called Chinese-origin "barefoot chili powder" video has been spreading mainly on various social networking services (SNS), causing controversy. In response, the embassy clarified that the scenes in the video are unrelated to chili powder.

On the 22nd, Economic Counselor Yubok Geun of the Korean Embassy in China posted a correction regarding the so-called "barefoot seasoning, barefoot chili powder report" on his Facebook. Counselor Yu stated, "There has been a commotion due to a video posted by a Chinese netizen on SNS," adding, "A scene where a woman is crushing a red ingredient with her feet was mistakenly reported as a process of stepping on chili peppers or chili powder, which are ingredients of kimchi, leading to distrust or criticism of the food hygiene standards of a specific country."

He continued, "However, the problematic video appears to be unrelated to the process of making chili sauce or chili powder, which are raw materials for kimchi," and explained, "This scene seems to be part of the seed removal process from the fruit of a medicinal herb called 'Jongru' grown in Yunnan Province, China." He added, "In rural Yunnan, they separate seeds from the Jongru fruit for sowing through this process," and "It is a process to remove seeds inside the fruit so that the seeds can sprout quickly."

Counselor Yu explained, "Jongru is a medicinal herb commonly found in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces in China. The juice part, which is the peel, is removed, and after extracting the seeds and drying them in the sun, the seeds are used." He also noted, "The seeds are used as medicine after drying or as seeds for planting," and "Currently, there are no products exported from China to Korea under the category of Jongru among medicinal herbs or food products."

He added, "The person in the video, who appears to be working in a home workshop in rural Yunnan, seems to have played music during the work to show a joyful attitude despite the fatigue of hard physical labor," and concluded, "The scenes in the video appear unrelated to the process of making food for human consumption, so we hope there will be no misunderstandings."

Meanwhile, in March, a so-called "naked kimchi" video showing cabbage being salted in unsanitary conditions at a Chinese factory spread through domestic online communities and SNS, causing controversy. As public concern grew, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety clarified that the kimchi in the video was not for export.