According to Professor Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women’s University on February 5th, Han Jin wrote “I ate kimchi stew” in Korean on the global community platform Weverse on the 1st, also added a Chinese sentence using the term “paocai” as translation to the Korean part.
“Paocai” is a Chinese dish made by pickling vegetables like cabbage, mustard stems, chili peppers, and carrots in salt. It is different from kimchi, which is made by fermenting napa cabbage with seasonings such as chili powder, garlic, ginger, and green onions.
As a result, Hanjin’s use of the term “paocai” to refer to kimchi was seen as an attempt to erase Korean culture, leading to heavy criticism. In fact, actress Choo Ja-hyun previously had to apologize for the same action, and the act of looping kimchi as “paocai” was pointed out as a “stealing Korean culture” by media site BBC.
Professor Seo thus posted a screenshot of Hanjin’s Weverse post on his social media, stating, “I received a flood of reports on this issue,” and criticized it as “a serious mistake.”
Professor Seo further pointed out, “As a star with a significant public influence, he should have been more cautious and considerate of the basic sentiments of Koreans. Kimchi and paocai are different foods.”
In 2021, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism revised the “Guidelines for Foreign Language Translation and Notation of Public Terms,” officially designating “xinqi” (辛奇) as the correct Chinese term for kimchi.
Meanwhile, following criticism from Korean fans, Hanjin has deleted his controversial post.
