After Kimchi, It's Samgyetang's Turn, South Korean Culinary Claims To Come From China

Samgyetang. (Unsplash / Cyprien Delaporte)

JAKARTA - China has again made other countries 'stifling' with unilateral claims. This time, it is the turn of Samgyetang, a typical South Korean cuisine that is claimed and makes the citizens of the State of Gingseng consider it a cultural provocation.

It started when Baidu, a Chinese search site like Google, on Tuesday March 30 described Samgyetang as a chicken soup dish originating from China's Guangdong Province, which was later introduced to Korea.

Not only that, Baidu also added, the dish has since become one of the most iconic dishes loved by members of the Korean royal family.

Claims that are expressly called false. The South Korean Rural Development Administration explained that Koreans have been making soup with chicken since at least the Joseon era.

Samgyetang was popular among wealthy Koreans during the Japanese colonial period and they enjoyed chicken soup with ginseng powder. It became more popular among ordinary people after the 1960's.

Prof Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women's University, a self-proclaimed 'publicist' for Korea, who voluntarily corrected inaccurate understandings of Korean history abroad, said he sent a complaint email to Baidu, urging the portal to revise the information. wrong about the food.

Samgyetang. (Pixabay / kim1220)

"Baidu has caused controversy by distorting history with Samgyetang, as was the case with Kimchi recently. So I immediately sent an email to Baidu saying, China doesn't even use the Harmonized System (HS) or designated international names and numbers for its products. traded, "he explained, launching Koreatimes.

"For Samgyetang, Korea classifies food as 1602.32.1010," he continued, underlining, urging the website to revise the information in order to provide accurate information to Chinese netizens.

Some South Koreans claim that there shouldn't be a problem, because Samgyetang is just a South Korean dish. There should be no dispute about the origin of the food, as it is made in South Korea. The more controversy spreads, the more it helps the Chinese claim that the food is theirs.

The controversy arose after Chinese websites and influencers also claimed some Korean dishes as their own over the past few months.

The Chinese government's Global Times newspaper claimed last year that the Bamboo Curtain country had led the international standard for pickled vegetables, including kimchi, following the approval of the pickled food, paocai, by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Although paocai in Chinese refers to a Chinese dish that is different from kimchi, which can also be read as paocai in Chinese, the media write stories as if they are the same, which angers many Koreans and the Korean media for stealing cultural assets.

Last year, Baidu also claimed that kimchi is made in China. The website deleted the claim after Seo filed a complaint, but later added it again.