City of Light’ Gwangju’s kimchi spreading globally

- Kimchi research centre to form base to globalize Gwangju kimchi
- “Kamchilbaegi” more suited to international tastes, leading way into overseas markets,

Gwangju City will begin efforts to globalize its own kimchi, through aggressive kimchi marketing both at home and abroad, and the creation of a ‘kimchi cluster’ complex in the city, centred around a Kimchi Centre (due for completion early this year) and the National Research Association’s International Kimchi Research Centre.

Gwangju has promoted its own brand of kimchi ? called kamchilbaegi ? as a tasty, southern-area kimchi, and developed as RIS(regional innovative system) focused on ▲improving human resources ▲marketing ▲developing skills ▲networking, etc. This year Gwangju plans to develop various promotional and marketing strategies, based on the image of ‘City of Taste’, to gain a larger share of the domestic market, and increase exports overseas.

Gwangju City has set a budget of 50 billion won - the largest by a local government ? in order to increase kimchi-related infrastructure and businesses, such as the Kimchi Centre, the Kimchi Culture Festival, RIS businesses, marketing, and in establishing the International Kimchi Research Centre, which acted as a beacon to fermented-food industries last year.

The Kimchi Centre is expected to be 90% complete by the first half of this year, and construction will also begin on the International Kimchi Research Centre, featuring a kimchi museum, processing factory, and kimchi experience field, in the second half of this year. These two items will be the mainstays of the so-called kimchi cluster.

Once the Kimchi Centre is completed and opened this year, the annual kimchi festival will be held there. Gwangju will enhance its image as a ‘City of Taste’ by opening an ongoing ‘kimchi academy’, and so, together with kimchi chefs attracted by the kimchi cultural festival, the city will produce high-quality kamchilbaegi kimchi. Gwangju also plans to lead efforts to globalize Korean food.

To achieve a stable supply of high quality raw materials and ingredients, Gwangju has agreed MoUs (

Additionally, Gwangju plans to lead national and international marketing for its kamchilbaegi kimchi, by focusing on kimchi promotion both at home (including the greater-Seoul areas) and abroad, and to expand overseas markets, which were last year limited to Japan due to swine-flu restrictions.

Last year, kamchilbaegi kimchi appeared for the first time at an international Korean food contest and was exported to the American market. The transportation costs are much cheaper than previous kimchi exports so it can become profitable. Kamchilbaegi kimchi is expected to be exported to China and Europe starting from the second half of this year, which will stimulate the local economy here in Gwangju.

To expand into the domestic market, Gwangju City opened a kamchilbaegi wholesale outlet it greater-Seoul region last year, and in the first half of this year, will authorize to two kimchi factories in Gwangju as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) to improve food quality and safety. In addition Gwangju plans to franchise kamchilbaegi kimchi cooking by opening a ‘demonstration store’ detailing professionally prepared kimchi dishes.


“Through the establishment of International Kimchi Research Centre, Gwangju’s status as city home to kimchi will increase and kamchilbaegi kimchi will become much more recognised,” said a city official. “In the future, through aggressive marketing and producing kamchilbaegi kimchi for international consumption, Gwangju city can make profits and create jobs and so stimulate the local economy.”