"Chinese Origin" Removed, But German Supermarket Still Selling "Chinese Kimchi"

'Chinese Kimchi' (red square) currently sold at major European supermarket chains. Professor Seokyeong Deok

Controversy has arisen after a major European supermarket chain labeled and sold kimchi as "Chinese Kimchi."

Professor Seo Kyungduk of Sungshin Women's University stated on October 14, "Recently, many netizens have reported this issue," adding, "'ASIA GREEN GARDEN' is a private label produced by ALDI, a well-known German supermarket chain."

Two years ago, this kimchi product sparked controversy because the word "Chinese" was written between the "ASIA GREEN GARDEN" logo and "KIMCHI," and the packaging included phrases such as "Original aus China" in German and "Originale dalla Cina" in Italian, indicating that it originated from China.

At the time, Professor Seo sent a protest email to the company, strongly urging them to "immediately stop sales."

Professor Seo explained, "Although the phrase indicating it originated from China has now been removed, the product is still openly sold as 'Chinesisch KIMCHI' (Chinese Kimchi) in German, which is causing a significant problem."

He further pointed out, "Even if the kimchi was made using Chinese cabbage from China, the country of origin should not be labeled in this manner."

He emphasized, "If this situation continues, Europeans may be misled into thinking that kimchi is a Chinese dish, so corrective action must be taken to ensure proper labeling." He added, "I plan to send another protest email, because correcting such mislabeling is the first step toward the globalization of kimchi."