Hence, it was not a surprise when the headline "South Korea's Kimchi Exports Hit New High in 2021" appeared on the news feed recently. In Malaysia, such dominance of influence is also apparent, what more with so much more exposure of South Korean entertainment on Netflix in the domestic market. World Kimchi Institute research group leader Dr Lee Chang Hyeon told Bernama that South Korea's kimchi exports have steadily increased over the past five years. "If there are more than 100 countries importing Korean kimchi, we will continue to expect a trade surplus due to the increase in kimchi exports. In the quest to build trust in Korean kimchi, the National Geographical Indication System has been in force since 2021 that allows Korean kimchi manufacturers to officially mark and use the name "Republic of Korea" for kimchi made from Korean ingredients.
