ASIA / PACIFIC
January 15, 2018
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 3
Secret Sauce? Kim Jong Un
applies science to kimchi-making
An Educ a tion Big g e r
tha n a Ne ig hborhood.
By Eric Talmadge
The Associated Press
P
YONGYANG, North Korea — Kim Jong Un wants
to turn the art of kimchi-making into a science.
And the North Korean leader is putting his money
where his mouth is.
On the outskirts of Pyongyang, surrounded by
snow-covered farms and greenhouses, stands one of Kim’s
latest pet projects, the Ryugyong Kimchi Factory, which
produces 4,200 tons of the iconic Korean pickled vegetable
dish per year. The shiny new facility replaces an older
factory and opened in June last year after getting Kim’s
final seal of approval, according to manager Paek Mi Hye.
The factory is intended to showcase Kim’s efforts to
boost North Korea’s domestic economy and produce more,
and better, consumer products. His strategy, known as
byungjin, aims to simultaneously develop the national
economy and North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
North Korea’s repeated underground nuclear tests and
launches of long-range missiles that could conceivably
reach the U.S. mainland have brought more sanctions
down on the North than ever before. But outside experts
believe the country — while still struggling in many areas
— is showing signs of modest economic growth and
improved agricultural production. It could be just a year
or two away from having an operational, nuclear-tipped
intercontinental ballistic missile.
Applied science, according to the North’s policymakers,
is absolutely essential on all fronts.
Kim has transformed the Pyongyang skyline with
high-rise apartments to house his prized rocket scientists
and nuclear engineers, and Paek repeatedly stressed
while giving a tour of the facility to The Associated Press
how even an ancient delicacy like kimchi can benefit from
scientific innovation.
Paek, who accompanied Kim on his “on-the-spot
guidance” visits, said the factory has 150 workers but is
for the most part automated.
She said the primary objective of the factory is to
operate in a “scientific manner at every stage.” In
kimchi-making, that means inspections all along the
production line to ensure quality and hygiene. The factory
boasts of a one-of-a-kind “kimchi analyzer” to maintain
the proper levels of saltiness and lactic acid — its
signature ingredient.
Koreans North and South have been making kimchi for
generations, often passing family recipes down from
mother to daughter or mother-in-law to daughter-in-law.
In 2015, UNESCO added kimchi to its “intangible
cultural heritage of humanity” list, noting that the
traditional sharing of know-how and materials to prepare
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SPICY SCIENCE. South Korean workers make kimchi, Korea’s spicy
traditional pickled vegetables, at the Yeonan Kimchi factory in Paju, north
of Seoul, South Korea, in this file photo. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
wants to turn the art of kimchi-making into a science. And Kim is putting
his money where his mouth is. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)
large quantities of kimchi for the winter months “boosts
cooperation among families, villages, and communities,
contributing to social cohesion.”
Paek acknowledged that some people might resist
giving up the cherished tradition of communal
kimchi-making. “But they also recognize the quality and
reliability of our factory-made product,” she said.
The factory produces eight kimchi products, from the
very spicy staple “tong kimchi,” which has a red tint and is
made of whole cabbages, to a milder variety designed for
children. Its kimchi products are distributed to
restaurants and grocery stores around Pyongyang.
“This is the model,” Paek said. “Other factories like ours
are being planned in every province.”
Talmadge is The AP’s Pyongyang bureau chief.
Michelin star boosts chef at outdoor Thai kitchen to stardom
By Kaweewit Kaewjinda
Killingsworth Station
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The Associated Press
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B
ANGKOK (AP) —
A
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goggles-wearing
Thai chef has been pro-
pelled to culinary stardom
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The Jay Fai restaurant
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A closer examination of the
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Jay Fai was happy about
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came so late in her career.
“I’ve been cooking for 30
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TASTY THAI FOOD. Thai cook Supinya Jansuta, 72, better known as “Jay Fai,” wears goggles while
cooking with two flaming woks at her eatery in Bangkok, Thailand. After spending more than three decades
cooking in an unassuming outdoor kitchen, Jay Fai has been propelled to international culinary stardom by
having her restaurant awarded a Michelin star. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
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