• Food Science and Industry
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.260-267
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• 2021

Nowadays kimchi is exported to 80 countries and can be easily found overseas, but the name "Korean Kimchi" has not been protected internationally. Korean kimchi need to be registered as a geographical indication and receive international protection in order to establish its status as the country of origin. With the revision of the Kimchi Industry Promotion Act in 2020, geographical indications were introduced for kimchi and a legal basis was in place to enable the geographical indication as "Korean Kimchi" or "Republic of Korea Kimchi." Although there are issues remaining between the current system and producers' associations, we should prioritize the geographical indication as a means of protecting the country's agricultural products. In addition, efforts should be made to improve the quality and product value of Korean kimchi so that it is also recognized as a global brand.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.94-115
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• 2017

'Arirang folk song in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea' was inscribed to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014 and 'Tradition of kimchi-making in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea' followed in 2015. It is presumed that North Korea was influenced by the Republic of Korea inscribing 'Arirang, lyrical folk song in the Republic of Korea' to the list in 2012 as well as 'Kimjang, making and sharing kimchi in the Republic of Korea' in 2013. These cases show the necessity (or possibility) of cultural exchanges between the two Koreas through UNESCO ICH lists. The purpose of this article is to explore the possibility of inter-Korean cultural integration. Therefore, I would like to review UNESCO's ICH policy and examine the ways of cooperation and joint nominations to the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity between the two Koreas. First, I reviewed the amendments to the laws and regulations of the two Koreas and how the two countries applied the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Although the cultural exchange is a non-political field, given the situation between South and North Korea, it is influenced by politics. Therefore, we devised a stepwise development plan, divided into four phases: infrastructure development, cooperation and promotion, diversification, and policymaking and alternative development. First a target group will be needed. In this regard, joint nominations to the Representative List of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity will be suitable for cooperation. Both countries have already started separate nominations on shared ICH elements to the UNESCO lists. Therefore, I have selected a few elements as examples that can be considered for joint nominations. The selected items are makgeolli (traditional liquor), jang (traditional soybean sauce), gayangju (homebrewed liquor), gudeul (Korean floor heating system), and jasu (traditional embroidery). Cooperation should start with sharing information on ICH elements. A pilot project for joint nomination can be implemented and then a mid-term plan can be established for future implementation. When shared ICH elements are inscribed on UNESCO ICH lists, various activities can be considered as follow-ups, such as institution visits, performances, exhibitions, and joint monitoring of the intangible cultural heritage. Mutual cooperation of the two Koreas' intangible cultural heritage will be a unique example between the divided countries, so its value will be recognized as a symbol of cultural cooperation. In addition, it will be a foundation for cultural integration of the two Koreas, and it will show the value of their unique ICH to the world. At the same time, it will become a good example for joint nominations to the Representative List recommended by UNESCO.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.13-18
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• 2019

We determined the contents of 11 biogenic amines in 20 types of cabbage kimchi, 10 types of fish sauce, and 40 types of salted fish purchased from small- and medium-sized grocery stores in Gyeonggi-Do, Republic of Korea, from June to October 2017. The content of each of the biogenic amines in the various types of cabbage kimchi was slightly lower than that in detection amounts of each of the 10 types of biogenic amines and the values reported by Joe et al. The histamine content of all five types of anchovy sauce was lower than the limit set by the European Union (400 mg/kg), but that of three of the five types of sand lance sauce was higher. Analyzing the ratios of the contents of five highly toxic biogenic amines to those of the 11 biogenic amines yielded no quantitative correlation. The estimated daily intake of the five highly toxic biogenic amines in cabbage-kimchi and fermented fish was ${\leq}6mg$.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.135-142
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• 2024

Clover cyst nematode (Heterodera trifolii, CCN) is one of the important plantparasitic nematodes in the Republic of Korea, causing serious damage to Kimchi-cabbage in Gangwon province since 2017. Soil fumigants are the preferred choice for managing CCN. However, cabbage fields in Gangwon province have a slope, making it challenging to apply soil fumigants and use plastic mulch. Consequently, alternative materials should be developed for managing CCN. Nematicidal cover crops and resistant cultivars are among the alternatives. We conducted resistance screening of 82 white mustard(Sinapis alba) resources from a genebank at RDA against CCN for use as nematicidal cover crops or breeding materials. In the first assay (1st, 2nd, and 3rd pot experiments), 15 white mustard resources were selected, while others were susceptible to CCN. To confirm the reproducibility of resistance to CCN for 13 selected resources, the second assay was performed. As a result, five white mustard resource (IT297309, IT297312, IT302951, IT302953, IT302954) demonstrated resistance to CCN. These findings indicate the potential use of these five white mustard resources as nematicidal cover crops or for breeding cultivars of Kimchi-cabbage in Republic of Korea.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.257-268
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Zinc is an essential trace mineral which is important for the growth and development of the human body and immunological and neurological functions. Inadequate zinc intake may cause zinc deficiency with its adverse consequences. In this study, we aimed to estimate the dietary zinc intake levels and sources among Koreans. SUBJECTS/METHODS: For this secondary analysis, we obtained data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2016-2019. Individuals aged ≥ 1 yr who had completed a 24-h recall were included. The dietary zinc intake of each individual was calculated by applying data from a newly developed zinc content database to the KNHANES raw data. We also compared the extracted data with the sex-, age-specific reference values suggested in the Korean Dietary Reference Intakes 2020. The prevalence of adequate zinc intake was then evaluated by the proportion of the individuals who met the estimated average requirement (EAR). RESULTS: The mean zinc intake of Koreans aged ≥ 1 yr and adults aged ≥ 19 yrs were 10.2 and 10.4 mg/day, equivalent to 147.4% and 140.8% of the EAR, respectively. Approximately 2 in 3 Koreans met the EAR for zinc, but the zinc intake differed slightly among the different age and sex groups. In children aged 1-2 yrs, 2 out of 5 exceeded the upper level of intake, and nearly half of the younger adults (19-29 yrs) and the elders (≥ 75 yrs) did not meet the EAR. The major contributing food groups were grains (38.9%), meats (20.4%), and vegetables (11.1%). The top 5 food contributors to zinc intake were rice, beef, pork, egg, and baechu kimchi, which accounted for half of the dietary intake. CONCLUSION: The mean zinc intake among Koreans was above the recommended level, but 1 in 3 Koreans had inadequate zinc intake and some children were at risk of excessive zinc intake. Our study included zinc intake from diet only, thus to better understand zinc status, further research to include intake from dietary supplements is needed.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.48-61
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Magnesium is an essential nutrient for human health. However, inadequate intake is commonly reported worldwide. Along with reduced consumption of vegetables and fruits and increased consumption of refined or processed foods, inadequate magnesium intake is increasingly reported as a serious problem. This study aimed to assess magnesium intake, its dietary sources, and the adequacy of magnesium intake in Korean populations. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Data was obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2016-2019 and included individuals aged ≥1 yr who had participated in a nutrition survey (n=28,418). Dietary intake was assessed by 24-h recall, and dietary magnesium intake was estimated using a newly established magnesium database. Diet adequacy was evaluated by comparing dietary intake with the estimated average requirement (EAR) suggested in the Korean Dietary Reference Intakes 2020. RESULTS: The mean dietary magnesium intake of Koreans aged ≥1 yr was 300.4 mg/d, which was equivalent to 119.8% of the EAR. The prevalence of individuals whose magnesium intake met the EAR was 56.8%. Inadequate intake was observed more in females, adolescents and young adults aged 12-29 yrs, elders aged ≥65 yrs, and individuals with low income. About four-fifths of the daily magnesium came from plant-based foods, and the major food groups contributing to magnesium intake were grains (28.3%), vegetables (17.6%), and meats (8.4%). The top 5 individual foods that contributed to magnesium intake were rice, Baechu (Korean cabbage) kimchi, tofu, pork, and milk. However, the contribution of plant foods and individual contributing food items differed slightly by sex and age groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the mean dietary magnesium intake among Koreans was above the recommended intake, whereas nearly one in 2 Koreans had inadequate magnesium intake. To better understand the status of magnesium intake, further research is required, which includes the intake of dietary supplements.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.392-399
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• 2023

This paper proposes a deep learning model to determine the region and depth of cabbage cores for robotic automation of the cabbage core removal process during the kimchi manufacturing process. In addition, rather than predicting the depth of the measured cabbage, a model was presented that simultaneously detects and classifies the area by converting it into a discrete class. For deep learning model learning and verification, RGB images of the harvested cabbage 522 were obtained. The core region and depth labeling and data augmentation techniques from the acquired images was processed. MAP, IoU, acuity, sensitivity, specificity, and F1-score were selected to evaluate the performance of the proposed YOLO-v4 deep learning model-based cabbage core area detection and classification model. As a result, the mAP and IoU values were 0.97 and 0.91, respectively, and the acuity and F1-score values were 96.2% and 95.5% for depth classification, respectively. Through the results of this study, it was confirmed that the depth information of cabbage can be classified, and that it can be used in the development of a robot-automation system for the cabbage core removal process in the future.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.252-269
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• 2019

Since the inauguration of the Kim Jong-un regime in 2012, the safeguarding and management system of cultural heritage in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has been changing to a form similar to that of a democratic country's legal system. In addition, the National Authority for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (NAPCH) has continuously recorded and cataloged intangible cultural heritage elements in the DPRK, listing Arirang, kimchi-making, and ssireum on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative List. In particular, the multinational nomination of ssireum in October 2018 is symbolic in terms of inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation for peace and reconciliation, raising expectations for the further multinational nomination of the two Koreas' intangible cultural heritage. Currently, South Korea lists 20 items on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, three of which are shared by various countries with multinational nominations such as falconry, tug-of-war, and ssireum. However, when comparing the process of applying for multinational nomination in the three elements that follow, it is necessary to discuss whether these cases reflect the nature of multinational nomination. In particular, in the case of ssireum, without a working-level consultation between the two Koreas to prepare an application for a multinational nomination, each applied for a single registration; these applications were approved exceptionally as a multinational nomination by the Intergovernmental Committee under the leadership of the Secretary-General of UNESCO, and no bilateral exchanges have taken place until now. This is symbolic, formal, and substantially similar to the individual listings in terms of the spirit of co-listing on the premise of mutual exchange and cooperation. Therefore, the only way to strengthen the effectiveness of the multinational nomination between the two Koreas and to guarantee the spirit of multinational nomination is to request multilateral co-registration, including the two Koreas. For this, the Korean government needs a strategic approach, such as finding elements for multilateral co-listing; accumulating expertise, capabilities, and experience as a leading country in multilateral co-listing; and building cooperative governance with stakeholders. Besides, to reduce the volatility of inter-Korean cultural exchanges and cooperation depending on political situations and the special nature of inter-Korean relations, measures should be taken toward achieving inter-Korean cultural heritage exchanges and cooperation under a multilateral cooperation system using UNESCO, an international organization.