Would you like to participate in a traditional family-style Kimjang? (FYI, if you love cooking and Korean food the answer is, “YES!”) Then, sign up immediately for this 2-day traditional cooking event at the Songtan Traditional Market. Come learn how families work together to prepare their kimchi for the year. This is an all-inclusive event that includes snacks, meals, and numerous side quests like making kimchi for a community that needs it!
TLDR;: Dates: November 2nd & 3rd from around 9am – 13:00 each day (Estimated times) and we need 2 people who can have a slumber party with us at the market to turn cabbages.
Kimjang Event Details
Let’s start off with the details. This all-inclusive traditional kimjang event with Sue at the Songtan Traditional Market includes:
- Pre-event videos to study so you feel more prepared
- 2 Days of kimjang education
- 2 Days of additional culinary side quests
- 2 Days of Food and snacks
- Kimchi making gloves
- Kimchi making apron
- Supplies to make lots of kimchi for yourself and needy families
- A variety of side quests that occur in the moment
Costs and Dates
Although Songtan Traditional Market substantially subsidizes kimjang, their support only covers
- Cost: Single Adults $55 per person / 72,000 KRW
- Cost: Kids $25 / 33,000 KRW ** Limit, 2 kids per family due to event space capacity. The Songtan Market Community Kitchen can only hold 15 participants. Additionally, the work is hard so we need as many adult hands as possible.
- When: November 2nd from 9:00 am until finished (Maybe 2-4 hours) and November 3rd from 9:00 am until finished (Maybe 2-4 hours)
- Where: Songtan Traditional Market Kitchen Address: 경기 평택시 지산동 756-99 / Naver Link: https://naver.me/Fsqg1OqT
- 10-20 Participants
Cancellation
Supplies for kimjang need to be purchased in bulk and reserved in advance. This means the money is spent well in advance. You can cancel for a full refund 7 days before the event. However, we can supply refunds for those who cancel less than 7 days before the event. However, you can transfer the tickets to other guests!
Overnight Volunteers Needed
We will be messaging attendees once you are registered to find anyone who would like to spend the night with us at Songtan Market! We need 1-2 volunteers who can help us with rotating cabbages overnight.
Schedule (Maybe 9:30 – 13:30)
It’s important to remember that traditional kimjang runs on vibes and oral traditions. That means we all do a lot of “hurry up and wait” so no firm schedule is followed and a lot more happens than appears on the plan. We created the following schedule as a thought exercise of how we think kimjang might go. However, Sue will have the ultimate say in the heat of the moment. Quite frankly, start times and end times may change a little, so be prepared for that and be flexible.
2023 Kimjang Video from Kimchi Rednecks
Kimchi Rednecks filmed last year’s South of Seoul kimjang at the Songtan Traditional Market. We recommend watching it to understand how fun and busy the two-day event will be.
Songtan Traditional Market Support
In 2024, the Songtan Traditional Market will provide additional funding to make this event possible AND provide supplies so we can make kimchi for people in need! With the Songtan Market’s support, the International Resident Kimjang becomes more than a learning opportunity, it’s also a chance to give back. We could not be more excited about and thankful for their support. Kimjang is actually a very complicated and expensive event to coordinate.
Now that we understand the overview, let’s dig into more of the event details like what kimjang even means.
What is Kimjang
In 2013, Korean kimjang became recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Heritage activity. For Kimjang each year, Korean families come together to help the matriarchs assemble the family’s kimchi for the year. The event takes three days and requires many people to come together in order to clean, soak, and prepare the kimchi for all of the family members.
Kimjang Experience v. Traditional Kimjang
There are many kimchi-related experiences for new residents and tourists, but nothing compares to a full kimjang. When you go through the entire process of kimjang you step into the heart of the culture. For me, personally, participating in the totality of this event made me feel more connected to my life and friends in Korea.
A Unique Opportunity to Fully Participate in Kimjang
Since Kimjang is a family-focused work event, few international residents in Korea have the opportunity to experience this event in its entirety. Many Korean moms will say, “It’s too much work.” when foreigners ask to join. They might be correct… but I have been determined to start a kimjang for international residents. I want everyone to have this experience if they would like the challenge.
Kimjang with Ms. Sue
Therefore, when Ms. Sue said she would teach the South of Seoul community how to make kimchi, I insisted that we host a true kimjang. An event that doesn’t just showcase how to make the national dish, but also celebrates the strength and hard work of Korean women and their passion for their families.
Additionally, while we learn to make kimchi and take some home to our families, we will also be making kimchi for people in need in Pyeongtaek. The Songtan Market is providing additional supplies and working with local organizations so that the international resident kimjang can bless the wider community.
About the Event Host and Kimchi Expert
Ms. Sue’s hometown is in Jeju-do, however, she now lives in Pyeongtaek with her Husband and 2 adult children. Although Sue speaks and understands limited English, she loves working with the international community. Also, it’s her dream to help support the international residents in Pyeongtaek by offering deeper insight into Korean life.
South of Seoul volunteers will work with Ms. Sue to create additional materials to make the kimjang run relatively smoothly. Additionally, such materials can be taken home for reference in later years.
About the Food & Hospitality
Come ready to eat a lot. Every year Sue goes all out for this event. Each day you will have food when you arrive, snacks along the way, and one huge meal on the final day. We never fully know what will happen so stay curious! It’s an adventure.
About This Year’s Homework
This year we did an early, mini kimjang to create homework for attendees. There will be a series of videos to watch in order to prepare for the event. We learned from last year’s kimjang event and discovered what foreigners need to know before the event in order to make the best kimchi. This homework will be released as a second blog in a few weeks.
Founded in 2015, the South of Seoul team consists of volunteers on three continents working together to support English-speaking people traveling or living in South Korea. South of Seoul volunteers work with organizations and individuals across South Korea to improve equitable access to information across South Korea. Much of South of Seoul’s information focuses on Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
Blogs published under the authorship of “South of Seoul” include blogs compiled by multiple volunteers to improve access to standardized information unrelated to individualized personal experiences.
