This year, the "Bonga young radish kimchi" from Bonga, an agricultural corporation in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang, was selected as the kimchi to represent Korea.
On the 26th, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced nine outstanding domestically made kimchi products as winners at the "15th Korea kimchi contest," selecting Bonga young radish kimchi for the grand prize (prime minister's award).
Bonga young radish kimchi adds extracts of medicinal herbs such as jujube and astragalus to slow fermentation and improve shelf life. The related technology is under patent application. It was highly rated for allowing consumers to enjoy both the crunchy texture when freshly made and the tangy flavor after fermentation.
The top excellence award (minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs award) went to "Narichan jin whole-head kimchi" from Narichan Agricultural Corporation. Excellence awards (minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs awards) went to three products: Imjingang Kimchi's "Migeumchi adlay whole-head kimchi," Somssiga's "Somssiga Sinto buri young radish kimchi," and Cheongwon Organic's "Whole-head kimchi (Gold)." Encouragement awards went to four products: Kimchi Town's "Jeong Hyu-seon Jeolla-do young radish kimchi," Korea National Agricultural Cooperative Federation Kimchi Business Corporation Yeoncheon Branch's "Osaek soban whole-head kimchi," Somssiga's "Somssiga Sinto buri whole-head kimchi," and Bonga's "Bonga medicinal cuisine napa cabbage kimchi."
Prize money is 5 million won for the grand prize, 3 million won for the top excellence award, 2 million won for the excellence award, and 1 million won for the encouragement award, and the awards ceremony will be held at the "7th Kimchi Day" commemoration on Nov. 20.
The kimchi contest is co-hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) and organized by the World Institute of Kimchi (WiKim), now in its 15th year. It evaluates not only taste but also workplace hygiene management, safety, and use of domestic ingredients. In particular, this year, foreign consumers and overseas distributors participated as judges to assess overseas consumer preferences and export potential. This is the first time export competitiveness has been reflected in domestic kimchi evaluation standards.
From September, the winning companies will be offered promotional opportunities including listings on major open markets, live TV home shopping broadcasts, and live commerce. Jeong Kyung-seok, director general for food industry policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "Kimchi is at the forefront of global K-food," adding, "We will select kimchi that is competitive in the global market and work to expand exports."