City to hold kimchi festival next month

Seoul City will hold its annual kimchi festival early next month as part of its efforts to promote traditional culture and help those in need, officials said Wednesday.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said the second Seoul Kimchi Festival will be held in the city center with various programs from Nov. 6-8.

Kimchi-making, or “gimjang,” is a Korean tradition in which families and neighbors make and share the spicy fermented dish in bulk in preparation of the full-fledged winter. The gimjang custom was added to the UNESCO intangible heritage list in 2013.

From Nov. 6-7, about 6,000 residents, including 2,500 foreigners, will make kimchi on the 6,000-square-meter lawn of Seoul Plaza. Part of the kimchi will be donated to public welfare centers, officials said.

On the last day, a cabbage festival will be held near the city center where citizens can play games in which they “harvest” cabbage on an artificial farm.

The city will offer gimjang classes in Gwanghwamun Square throughout the festival. Various events from exhibitions and performances to flea markets will also be featured during the three-day festival.

While last year’s event was free of charge, the second festival will be run by voluntary donations from private companies, civic groups and foreigners who prebooked the event and paid the entrance fee as a donation, the city said.

(rene@heraldcorp.com)