Daesang holds kimchi pop-up event in Seoul

South Korean food company Daesang Corp. on Friday said it is holding through Oct. 15 the country’s first kimchi pop-up store “Kimchi Blast Seoul 2023” at the cafe Supy House in the trendy Seongsu-dong neighborhood of Seoul.

The event presents unique creations defying the conventional image of kimchi under the theme “Kimchi: Pleasures Never Encountered Before." Based on the company’s history of launching the nation’s first packaged kimchi brand Jongga, the strategy is to raise the latter’s status as a leading global name in kimchi through the message “Kimchi is jongga,” with jongga here meaning “closing price” in Korean. 

The pop-up’s concept of deconstructionism promotes new ways of interpreting and enjoying kimchi.

Daesang through the event seeks to shatter kimchi’s traditional and stereotypical image and present new forms of the condiment reflecting lifestyle trends. Park Young-ha, a professor of design at Korea National University of Arts who oversaw the pop-up’s design, deconstructed Jongga's brand pattern to devise the event’s logo and key visuals.

Also featured are culinary creations by chef Lee San-ho, head of the pop-up’s gourmet zone, using Jongga kimchi. They include a baked golden tart topped with baek (white) kimchi, shrimp and lemon caviar pastry and sprinkled with edible gold flakes; kimchi aranchini (Sicilian rice balls) with baechu (cabbage) and yeolmu (young radish greens) kimchi; and kimchi cake. 

Write to Kyeong-je Han at hankyung@hankyung.com