Pulmuone's Museum Kimchikan announced on the 24th that it will expand the number of kimchi experience programs for foreign visitors who want to experience Korean kimchi and kimjang culture from the existing 2 to 4 starting this month.
As the number of foreign visitors interested in experiencing kimchi has been increasing recently, the Museum Kimchikan will operate paid programs targeting foreign visitors in a more detailed manner. The existing 2 programs, 'It’s Kimchi' and 'Kimchi Class 101', have been revamped, with 'It’s Kimchi' divided into 'It’s Kimchi A and B' and 'Kimchi Class 101' renewed into 'Kimchi!_Basic' and 'Kimchi!_Master'.
The number of foreign visitors who visited the Museum Kimchikan last year was over 14,000, an increase of about 40% compared to the pre-COVID year of 2019 when it was around 10,000. Additionally, the proportion of foreign visitors, which was around 30% of all visitors in 2019, increased to 45% last year. The Museum Kimchikan has established itself as a 'representative kimchi experience attraction' where foreign visitors can experience Korean kimchi and kimjang culture.
'It’s Kimchi' is a paid kimchi experience program for groups of 15 to 24 foreign visitors. In 'It’s Kimchi_A', participants can taste kimchi after watching a demonstration of kimjang by an instructor, while in 'It’s Kimchi_B', they can make one type of kimchi themselves and take it home in a container.
The program runs four times a day from Wednesday to Sunday at 10:10 am, 10:50 am, 2:10 pm, and 2:50 pm, each lasting about 30 minutes.
'Kimchi!_Basic' and 'Kimchi!_Master' are programs that small groups of 4 to 24 visitors can participate in. Visitors to 'Kimchi!_Basic' can experience making cabbage kimchi from March to May and December, and making kkakdugi from June to November. They can also receive recipe cards containing instructions on how to make kimchi while tasting kimchi jeon regardless of the season.
In 'Kimchi!_Master', participants can make two types of kimchi and taste kimchi dishes. From March to May and December, they can make cabbage kimchi and seasonal kimchi, and also taste kimchi jeon, while from June to November, they can make kkakdugi instead of cabbage kimchi and seasonal kimchi.
The Museum Kimchikan awards recipe cards and program completion certificates to participants of the 'Kimchi!_Master' program. 'Kimchi!_Basic' and 'Kimchi!_Master' operate every Wednesday to Friday, starting at 10:20 am and 2:10 pm, respectively. 'Kimchi!_Basic' runs for approximately 60 minutes, while 'Kimchi!_Master' runs for approximately 90 minutes. Additionally, visitors can freely view the museum's exhibits before and after the experience.
The Museum Kimchikan also operates a ‘Kimchi Academy' free of charge for foreign visitors residing in Korea. This program is conducted in Korean and is open only to groups of 15 to 24 foreign visitors. The Kimchi Academy for Foreign Visitors will run until September.
Those who would like to participate can apply by sending an email to (museum@pulmuone.com) or contacting the Kakato Talk channel of Museum Kimchikan with the desired program, preferred date and time, and number of participants.
"As the proportion of foreign visitors to the Museum Kimchikan has significantly increased compared to before COVID, we have expanded programs to introduce Korean kimchi and kimjang culture to more foreign visitors," said Na Kyung-in, Team Manager of the Museum Kimchikan. "We will continue to make efforts to make the Museum Kimchikan a representative space for introducing Korean kimchi and kimjang culture to the world."