YouTube Account Presumed to Be Operated by North Korean Authorities
North Korean YouTuber 'Yeonmi,' who speaks fluent Chinese, has sparked controversy by referring to Korea's traditional food kimchi as the Chinese-style pickled vegetable 'pao cai.'
North Korea has recently been actively utilizing YouTube vlog-style content for regime propaganda and external publicity. Recently, a YouTube channel presumed to be operated by North Korean authorities, 'New DPRK,' featured Yeonmi, who speaks fluent Chinese.
The video titled "North Korean Girl Making Traditional Dumplings, Sharing Delicious Recipes," released on the 11th, became problematic.
In this video, Yeonmi shared the cooking process herself, saying, "Kimchi is a unique traditional food. Koreans cannot be happy without kimchi," and added, "I thought making kimchi would be a piece of cake, but it is not."
At this point, Yeonmi referred to kimchi as 'pao cai,' causing controversy. Additionally, in the video where she makes dumplings, she used the Chinese term 'jiaozi.'
Some Chinese people have claimed for several years that "kimchi originated from China's pao cai, and therefore China is the homeland of kimchi."
In November 2020, China's state-run media Global Times claimed that the pickled vegetable 'pao cai' received international standard certification from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), asserting that "China's kimchi industry has become the standard for the international kimchi market," which caused a stir.
Recently, Park Chaerin, a senior researcher at the World Kimchi Research Institute, wrote in the 'Northeast Asian History Report' in an article titled "Fermentation in Food, Fermentation in Thought," explaining that "it is a method of preserving vegetables during harsh winters by salting them with salt, which has a strong effect of preventing spoilage," and that "primitive pickling, which did not require special technology, was a universal human culture."
She further stated, "From the 1st to 3rd centuries, China and Korea followed their own paths," explaining that "in China, fermentation technology developed mainly through methods using vinegar and alcohol, while in Korea, salt and fermented sauces were the predominant pickling ingredients," drawing a clear line against the Chinese claim of being the 'homeland of kimchi.'
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