Chinese man under probe for violent behavior after 'dirty Chinese kimchi' argument

In this screenshot of a Weibo video from March 29, a man who appears to be naked wades in a pool of cabbage and grabs some of the vegetables soaked in a murky liquid while an excavator stirs them at a kimchi factory in China. Korea Times file

By Ko Dong-hwan

Police on Tuesday said they are investigating a Chinese man who allegedly displayed violent behavior in a restaurant in Seoul after hearing other people talking about "dirty Chinese kimchi."

At a hotpot restaurant in the Sillim area of Gwanak District around 3 p.m., the Chinese man in his 50s, whose name is being withheld, heard a conversation from three men in their 70s sitting next to his table. The Chinese man, who was intoxicated at the time, started shouting at them after they said they had been reluctant to eat kimchi after watching a video of kimchi being made in China.

The men were talking about a Weibo video from March that went viral in Korea after being shared on YouTube and Korean news outlets under the title, "China's obnoxious kimchi factory."

The video shows a naked man waist deep in a pool of brownish liquid that was filled with cabbages and tossing the vegetables into the bucket of an excavator arm that was mixing the produce in the mysterious liquid.

The footage shows the process of salting the cabbage before mixing it with various ingredients.

But the process environment and foodstuffs appear to be both unclean and unsafe. There is also no way of knowing for certain if the man was wearing anything beneath the surface. In addition, the machinery appears partly rusted.

The infuriated Chinese national raised his voice at the men next to him, asking them why they were insulting Chinese kimchi. His verbal assault only grew harsher although the men apologized to him.

After his fit of fury lasted for about 20 minutes, the restaurant owner stepped in and tried to calm him down. But the Chinese threw insults at the owner as well. The owner then called the police, who later apprehended the man at the scene.

Kimchi making in China has stirred concerns in Korea due to an apparently loose adherence to hygiene standards. In shared online videos, people can be seen moving cabbages to a loader while stepping on the vegetables with their work shoes on. A loader is shown brimming with uncovered cabbages, allowing rain, dust or other contaminants to come into contact with the vegetables. Another video showed a heap of hot peppers infested with vermin.

Site Map E-paper Subscribe Register LogIn
Site Map E-paper Subscribe Register LogIn