Earlier this month, George Parker published a thoughtful article on Korea.net about the work of our Founder and CEO, Justina Jang, and her journey of promoting Korean heritage in the UK through the Korean British Cultural Exchange (KBCE).
From Shock to Inspiration
When Justina organised the first Korean Harvest Festival ten years ago (now the ESEA Culture Festival), Korean cuisine was only beginning to reach global recognition. While kimchi was gaining popularity as a “superfood,” she discovered that many products labelled as “kimchi” in the UK looked and tasted nothing like the authentic dish. “As a Korean, I was upset—it was misrepresenting our heritage,” she recalls. Determined to preserve the authenticity of this cornerstone of Korean culture, Justina made kimchi demonstrations a staple feature of her festivals.
Birth of the Kimjang Project
This commitment blossomed into the Kimjang Project in 2018, funded by the National Heritage Lottery. The project produced a recipe book, instructional videos, and led to the annual Kimjang Festival in New Malden, home to Europe’s largest Korean community.
Her work reached a historic milestone in 2023, the 140th anniversary of UK–Korea diplomatic ties, when she successfully campaigned for Kingston Council to declare 22 November as Kimchi Day—the first European city to do so. That same year, she presented handmade kimchi and a recipe book to King Charles III during his visit to New Malden, a moment that brought both royal humour and global recognition.
Her efforts have since been honoured by the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, and she now serves as both a Global Kimchi Ambassador (aT Korea) and a Kimchi Ambassador for WIKIM (World Institute of Kimchi).
