The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Wednesday that it will standardize the Chinese translation of kimchi as xinqi on the menus of restaurants in major tourist spots. (Image courtesy of Pxhere)
SEOUL, Sept. 28 (Korea Bizwire) – The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Wednesday that it will standardize the Chinese translation of kimchi as xinqi on the menus of restaurants in major tourist spots.
This decision follows an increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting major tourist spots like Myeongdong, facilitated by the Chinese government’s approval of group tours to Korea.
After the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism changed the Chinese term for kimchi to xinqi in July 2021, the Seoul Metropolitan Government officially registered the Chinese translation of kimchi as xinqi in its foreign language dictionary in September 2021.
However, due to a lack of awareness regarding the official notation, there are still many restaurants in tourist attractions frequently visited by Chinese tourists that continue to translate kimchi as paocai.
The city government emphasized that kimchi is a low-temperature fermented food made using a mixture of seasonings such as red pepper powder and garlic, along with salted seafood. This is distinct from paocai, which ferments at room temperature after being preserved in salt.
On September 25, the city government issued guidelines on correct notation and recommended the correction of notation errors through the Korea Foodservice Industry Association.
On the previous day, the city government asked Google Korea to correct the translation of kimchi from paocai to xinqi.
The city government plans to form an inspection team comprised of citizens to check the notation of Korean food menus and promote the correction of notation errors in popular tourist spots, including Myeongdong.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
