Park Kwang-tae Gwangju Mayor |
By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter
The southwestern city of Gwangju will launch a new research facility on kimchi as a part of efforts to globalize Korea's culinary trademark.
Gwangju faced intense competition from other cities to house the new R&D center. ``We decided in the end to give Gwangju this unique privilege because it is a region that prides itself on superior expertise on kimchi,'' said Prof. Roh Jae-sun of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development at Seoul National University. Roh headed a state committee organized to select the venue of the institute.
Wanju of North Jeolla Province, Goesan of North Chungcheong Province and Geochang of South Gyeongsang Province also applied to the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to house the institute.
Gwangju Mayor Park Kwang-tae made the announcement at a press conference Wednesday, underlining Gwangju's long tradition of promoting kimchi at home and abroad through various projects and festivals.
A staple of Korean diet, kimchi is a fermented mixture of cabbage, onion, garlic and red pepper powder and salt. There are many kinds of kimchi with distinct regional traits.
Studies have shown that kimchi is highly nutritious and effective in preventing cancer, lowering blood cholesterol levels and strengthening the immune system.
``The city already has many universities and researchers who can support the activities of the new institute and has a wide range of agricultural industries centered on kimchi,'' Roh said.
Gwangju is one of the country's largest producers of the essential kimchi ingredients, including cabbage, garlic, onions and salt.
Additionally, the city has about 200 kimchi researchers at Chosun University, Chunnam Techno College and Chonnam National University, among other universities and institutes in the region.
The city has already committed to establishing a comprehensive kimchi center with processing facilities and museums.
To be completed by 2011, the institute will focus on globalizing kimchi through expanding research on the nutritional and cultural merits of kimchi and other fermented dishes.
``One of the most important goals of the institute is to take a global approach for advancing kimchi studies. For example, we could share the fermenting techniques of Kimchi with countries like Japan and China, which also have a tradition of consuming fermented vegetables,'' the professor said.
The Gwangju institute will also work closely with the Secretariat for Kimchi Globalization, founded in June by the Korea Food Research Institute in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province.
For the past 16 years, Gwangju has hosted the Kimchi Festival. This year's event will be held from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1 around the Gwangju World Cup Stadium.
``The institute is expected to play a crucial role in the future cluster of kimchi industries to be housed in the city,'' the mayor said. ``It will make great contributions to regional growth.''
jhdo@koreatimes.co.kr
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