After Anseongjae, Now Lee Jang-woo... Promoting 'Jang Making Culture' with Seo Kyung-duk

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Registration
Seogyeongdeok and I Jangwoo Participate in Commemorative Video Production
"Symbol of National Cultural Identity"

'The Taste and Elegance Passed Down Through Tradition, the Culture of Jang Making' Video. Professor Seokyung Deok Facebook

Recently, Korea's jang-making culture was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, and Professor Seokyungdeok from Sungshin Women's University released a multilingual video to commemorate this achievement.

On the 11th, Professor Seo posted a 4-minute video on his social media account. The video, co-produced with KB Financial Group, was released in both Korean and English versions, with actor Lee Jang-woo providing the narration. Lee Jang-woo expressed his pleasure in personally introducing Korea's jang-making culture through his voice and hoped that many viewers both domestically and internationally would watch it. The video detailed the uniqueness of jang culture, which boasts a long history dating back to the Three Kingdoms period. It also highlighted how Koreans have naturally created a communal culture through jang across generations, emphasizing that jang is not only food but also a symbol of ethnic cultural identity.

Professor Seo stated, "Currently, interest in Korean cuisine is very high worldwide. I believe this is the perfect time to introduce Korean jang culture to the world, including samgyeopsal with ssamjang, tteokbokki’s gochujang, and galbijjim’s soy sauce. In particular, we will produce various content utilizing the UNESCO World Heritage-listed 'Kimjang culture' and 'jang-making culture' to further promote Korean cuisine globally." He added, "Together with KB Financial Group, we will continue to produce diverse content to widely promote the historical and cultural value of traditional Korean culture both domestically and internationally, so please look forward to the next installment."

Documentary commemorating the inscription of 'Korea's Jang Making Culture' on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Professor Seokyung Deok Facebook

Earlier, on the 5th, Professor Seo released a video titled 'Traditional It-da' in collaboration with Chef An Seong-jae. The video introduced four master gochujang artisans from Sunchang-gun, Jeonbuk, capturing their lives and stories in an interview format. Chef An not only appeared in the video but also participated in the narration, helping to widely promote the infinite potential and value of jang.

On the 4th, UNESCO decided to add Korea's 'jang-making culture' to its list at the 19th Intergovernmental Committee meeting for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Asuncion, Paraguay. This is the second traditional food culture to be inscribed after the 2013 Kimjang culture. With this, Korea has become a country possessing a total of 23 intangible cultural heritages, starting with Jongmyo Jerye and Jongmyo Jeryeak in 2001, followed by Pansori, Gangneung Danoje Festival, Ganggangsullae, Arirang, Jeju Haenyeo culture, Yeondeunghoe, Hansan Mosi weaving, Talchum, and others. The committee regarded jang as a core element of the Korean diet and judged that jang-making culture includes not only the food itself but also the entire process of managing, using, and transmitting the techniques and beliefs. Furthermore, the communal act of jang-making was evaluated as fostering peace and a sense of belonging within the related communities.