A Chinese tabloid has set off a social media war between China and South Korea. Global Times claimed China led the development of an international standard for paocai (pickled vegetables). Koreans said the claim was misleading because, in Chinese, paocai refers to kimchi, too. And kimchi is a fermented cabbage dish that is central to Korean cuisine.
Koreans are accusing the Chinese of cultural appropriation. “If China plagiarizes the fermentation process of kimchi in the future, then South Korea’s traditional culture may disappear.”
Read more (New York Times)