Three years ago, Jilin Province registered “stone pot mixed rice” (also known as “Korean mixed rice”) as an “intangible cultural heritage,” which has recently stirred up discontent among officials and citizens in South Korea after being exposed by South Korean media. On Monday (October 7), the South Korean Embassy in China expressed concern to the Jilin government regarding this matter.
During a meeting with South Korean media reporters in Beijing on that day, South Korean Ambassador to China Jang Jae-ho introduced the situation. He stated that the embassy has continuously requested that the Chinese side closely monitor and assist with the situation at the embassy level.
In response to this situation, the South Korean Embassy has also established a system to monitor distorted history and systematically inspect and address museums, textbooks, and other entities with significant risks and influence of distorting history.
In December 2021, the Jilin provincial government approved the inclusion of 65 items, including the “Korean ethnic group stone pot mixed rice making technique” and “Korean ethnic group traditional rice cake making technique,” in the “Fifth Batch of Provincial Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage Items List in Jilin Province.”
In late September this year, South Korean media extensively covered this news, sparking discussions on South Korean websites.
The dispute over traditional cultural heritage between China and South Korea has a long history. In 2011, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, included the Korean game of Jegichagi in the provincial-level intangible cultural heritage list. In 2014, Yanji City, Jilin Province, registered the Korean kimchi making technique as the fourth batch of “national-level intangible cultural heritage.”
In 2008, Jilin Province registered the Korean folk dance “Nongle” as “Korean ethnic Nongle dance,” designating it as a national-level intangible cultural heritage. In 2009, it further registered as a UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage.
In response, Professor Seo Kyung-deok of Chung-Ang University in South Korea expressed that the Chinese authorities may attempt to appropriate Korean culture under the guise of “Korean ethnic group” and urged the government to promptly formulate response strategies.
On September 20, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement stating, “Considering that historical issues are important for our national identity, resolute countermeasures will be taken against Chinese distortions of history.”
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs added, “We also urge China to continue making necessary efforts to ensure that cultural identity-related matters, including measures taken by Jilin Province, will not have a negative impact on the friendly sentiments between the people of the two countries.”
According to the “Korean Food Culture Dictionary” jointly produced by the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Cultural Institute, stone pot mixed rice first appeared in a restaurant in the city of Jeonju, North Jeolla Province in the 1960s and later spread throughout South Korea, becoming one of the representative Korean cuisines today.
Currently, stone pot mixed rice has not been registered as a national intangible cultural heritage of South Korea, with only Jeonju mixed rice designated as the intangible cultural heritage of the North Jeolla Province in 2008.
(Reference to reports from Yonhap News Agency and Central News Agency)