Following Ham So-won and Song Ji-a, 'Paochai' Spelling Controversy
Seo Kyung-deok "Hope No More Such Mistakes"
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Professor Seo Kyung-deok of Sungshin Women's University criticized actress Chu Ja-hyun for labeling the traditional Korean food kimchi as "pao cai (泡菜·Chinese pickled vegetables)," saying, "One must be considerate of the nation's basic sentiments."
On the 21st, Professor Seo mentioned on his Instagram that Chu Ja-hyun had labeled kimchi as "pao cai" in a video she posted on the Chinese version of Instagram, 'Xiaohongshu,' on the 17th.
Professor Seo said, "Actress Chu Ja-hyun, who has been actively acting while traveling between Korea and China, posted a short video on her Xiaohongshu showing her eating ramen. However, the scene where she wraps kimchi with ramen was subtitled as 'pao cai (泡菜),' which sparked controversy."
He continued, "There are many celebrities and influencers actively working in China, and while it is commendable that they promote the country's prestige and earn foreign currency, I hope such mistakes will no longer occur," he pointed out.
He added, "Given the recent absurd incidents such as China's kimchi project and hanbok project, I believe that especially those with significant external influence should be considerate of the nation's basic sentiments," he emphasized.
Professor Seo said, "Since China's kimchi project, domestic netizens have been continuously making efforts to correct the mistaken labeling of Korean kimchi as pao cai. There have been many good results so far," adding, "I hope that these small changes will accumulate so that kimchi can continue to be loved worldwide as a representative dish of the Republic of Korea."
On February 15th last year, a petition titled "Request to remove Mr. A from broadcasting for calling kimchi 'pao cai'" was posted on the Blue House National Petition website. /Photo by Blue House National Petition Board capture
Earlier, broadcaster Ham So-won also sparked controversy by calling kimchi "pao cai" during an Instagram live broadcast last year. Following this, a petition was posted on the Blue House's national petition site requesting Ham So-won's removal from broadcasting. As the controversy continued, Ham So-won posted a photo of kimchi on social media with the hashtag '#Kimchi.'
Additionally, YouTuber Song Ji-a (Frizia), who caused an official controversy over wearing counterfeit luxury goods, was also criticized for subtitling "pao cai" while introducing kimchi jjim in a video posted on 'Bilibili,' the Chinese version of YouTube.
Meanwhile, "pao cai" is a general term for pickled vegetable side dishes in China and is a different food from kimchi. However, the Chinese government claims that kimchi originated from pao cai.
In this regard, in July of last year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism revised the "Guidelines for Foreign Language Translation and Notation of Public Terms," changing the Chinese translation and notation of kimchi to "xin qi (辛奇)" and decided to remove "pao cai," which China had used to claim kimchi as their own food.
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