Sanders tweets from the US embassy, ​​”waiting for the original Korean kimchi”

The US Embassy in Seoul shared a picture of kimchi making on the official Twitter on the 22nd, and wrote, “We are waiting for the original Korean kimchi,” while the debate about Korean-Chinese origins spreading online over kimchi, a traditional Korean food.

This is a photo of the’Given Kimchi of Love’ event organized by the Saemaul Women’s Association in Gogo-dong, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do on the 1st of last month. Women who appear to be employees of the US Embassy are putting seasoned insides into cabbage.

On the one hand in the picture, there is a man who seems to be waiting while watching the kimchi making. On the 20th, it is US Senator Joe Biden, US Senator Bernie Sanders, who attracted attention with his unique fashion at the inauguration ceremony of US President. The appearance of sitting cross-legged in striped fur gloves and thick jumpers that did not suit his inauguration ceremony attracted a lot of attention in the United States.

The U.S. Embassy synthesized Sanders’ photos with photos of the event and released a so-called meme, meaning a parody picture online. At the same time, the hashtags “#berniesandersmemes” and “#berniesandersmittens” (name tags that help with social media searches) were attached. It is interpreted to mean that Senator Sanders is waiting for kimchi.

Meanwhile, employees of the US Embassy have held kimchi making events almost every year. In 2019, they harvested cabbages and peppers grown in the garden of the U.S. embassy and made kimchi with students from nearby schools.

The love of Kimchi by former US Ambassador to Korea, Harry Harris, was also unique. As if conscious of the controversy over the’Kimchi Process’ in China, he posted a video on his SNS on the 10th of last month to learn how to make kimchi, saying, “I am happy to be living in Korea, the originator of kimchi.”

Reporter Seok-Hyun Ko [email protected]