Gwangju City, Bitgoeul Love Sharing 'Kimchi Making Contest'

Held at Gwangju Kimchi Town from the 2nd to the 15th of next month

‘Bitgoeul Love Sharing Kimchi Making Contest’ held last year at Nam-gu Gwangju Kimchi Town. Photo by Gwangju City

Gwangju City announced on the 27th that it will hold the '2024 Bitgoeul Love Sharing Kimchi-Making Festival (hereinafter referred to as the 'Kimchi-Making Festival')' from December 2 to 15 at Nam-gu Gwangju Kimchi Town.

The 'Kimchi-Making Festival' allows ordinary citizens to make delicious kimchi using pre-ordered salted napa cabbage and seasoning, while companies and organizations participate in sharing with neighbors in need during the year-end and New Year holidays.

The city has been hosting the Kimchi-Making Festival since 2014 with the goals of preserving kimchi-making culture, spreading a culture of donation, increasing income for farmers and kimchi businesses, and making kimchi-making easy.

The napa cabbage, salt, red pepper powder, and anchovy fish sauce used in the Kimchi-Making Festival are jointly purchased from agricultural products produced in Gwangju and Jeonnam, allowing participants to make kimchi at prices lower than market rates. Additionally, the kimchi is made using recipes developed together with the World Kimchi Research Institute and the winner of the Presidential Award at the Kimchi Contest.

The Kimchi-Making Festival operates daily at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for 60 teams each session, providing free kimchi-making supplies such as aprons, gloves, and bowls. The prices for kimchi are based on 10 kg (7 kg salted napa cabbage + 3 kg seasoning): ▲On-site mixing 65,000 KRW ▲Finished product pick-up on-site 67,000 KRW (10 kg) ▲Finished product delivery by courier 70,000 KRW.

Individuals or groups wishing to make kimchi must apply in advance through the Kimchi-Making Festival website.

Joo Jae-hee, Director of the Economic Startup Bureau, said, “The Kimchi-Making Festival has become very popular through word of mouth, and advance reservations are almost fully booked. We thank the citizens and organizations interested in the event and hope this festival will be a time of harmony where sharing and communication are practiced through kimchi.”