"It's not Long Sushi, it's Kimbap"... 'Kedeheon' Creates Global 'Kimbap Craze'

[Financial News]  The Netflix animated film 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' (Kedeheon) is gaining worldwide popularity, and kimbap is also being reinterpreted in a new direction, gaining popularity. Following the way the protagonists in Kedeheon eat, 'eating show challenges' are being posted on social networking services (SNS), and cooking videos of making it 'directly' are gaining high views. 

It is not difficult to see the unique sight of foreigners correcting those who call it 'Long Sushi' to 'Kimbap'.

The Canadian YouTube cooking channel 'CookingWithFred', with 4.54 million subscribers, shows the protagonist Lumi of Kedeheon eating 'kimbap' and then makes kimbap himself.
Most importantly, through the video titled 'Blockbuster Kimbap Rolled Fresh For K-Pop's Finest', the YouTuber makes kimbap 'properly'.

Pickled radish, which is not available in Canada, is made by cutting radish long, putting it in a jar, and pouring vinegar, etc. Spam is used instead of ham, and cucumber and carrot are not left out. Seaweed and rice are placed on a bamboo mat, and the prepared ingredients are rolled up. Brushing with sesame oil and sprinkling sesame seeds are not forgotten.

This video received over 150,000 'likes' in just a week, and there are over 2,300 comments.

TikTok overseas user 'Weebgast' also started making kimbap, calling it 'Lumi's Kimbap', and even introduced the harmony with cup noodles. This video also recorded 442,000 views and 11,000 'likes'.

There is something else amazing shown in the two videos. The response to the expression 'sushi' along with comments of willingness to make or eat kimbap.
To those who post 'sushi', netizens are informing them of the correct notation, saying "It's not sushi. It's kimbap", "It's different from Japanese sushi".

The 'One Bite Kimbap' challenge is also popular. It reenacts the scene where Lumi in Kedeheon eats uncut kimbap in one bite.
Reels creator 'mas.a9_11_cos' shows the Netflix video as the correct way to eat kimbap and then shows the edited challenge video.

As of the 29th, the hashtag '#gimbap' has been registered over 180,000 times on Instagram. More than 17,000 related videos have been uploaded on TikTok.

The popularity of kimbap has been long-standing. After Korean-American Sarah Ahn posted a video of eating frozen kimbap on TikTok in 2023, the American grocery store 'Trader Joe's' experienced a sell-out situation.

Ahn's video of heating and tasting frozen kimbap recorded over 11 million views in an instant. As of the 29th, the cumulative views are 14.08 million.
The hot response also led to kimbap exports. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, last year's export of rice processed foods such as frozen kimbap and instant rice was 440 billion won, an increase of 38.4% compared to the previous year. 

Last September, Pulmuone became the first domestic food company to export frozen kimbap to Sam's Club, a large mart in China. The packaging included the phrase 'K-STREET FOOD'.

y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter