From Salt to Salted Seafood, Crafted by Artisans... Hyundai Department Store Unveils Premium Kimchi

[Financial News] Hyundai Department Store is seeking to make inroads into the premium kimchi market by introducing "Myung-in Myung-chon Kimchi," which features ingredients sourced from artisans across the country and distinctive regional flavors.
According to industry sources on the 5th, Hyundai Department Store will launch Myung-in Myung-chon Kimchi on the 13th at the food hall of Hyundai Department Store Apgujeong Main Store. The line consists of 10 everyday kimchi varieties and two specialty varieties. Sales will later expand to major locations, including Hyundai Department Store Trade Center Branch and Hyundai Department Store Pangyo Branch, while the product range will be gradually expanded.
Myung-in Myung-chon is Hyundai Department Store's traditional food specialty brand, showcasing products made by artisans who prepare distinctive regional foods using traditional methods. Since its launch in 2009, the brand has sold about 200 products, mainly fermented foods such as fermented sauces and pastes, vinegar, and soy sauce. It recently drew attention after Culinary Class Wars 2 showed Venerable Seonjae, a master of temple cuisine, using Myung-in Myung-chon soy sauce.
Hyundai Department Store has expanded its expertise in sourcing ingredients, developed through its operation of Myung-in Myung-chon, into kimchi. Under the concept that "the ingredients are the recipe," the company is highlighting the quality of its raw materials and traditional production methods. The initiative is intended to meet growing demand from consumers who carefully examine ingredients and production processes as kimchi-making at home declines and demand for packaged kimchi rises.
Myung-in Myung-chon Kimchi uses ingredients sourced from artisans over the past 17 years. Key examples include sun-dried sea salt from artisan Park Seong-chun in Sinan, South Jeolla Province; salted shrimp from artisan Kim Jeong-bae, whose family has carried on the tradition for four generations in Asan, South Chungcheong Province; and anchovy fish sauce made with domestically sourced fresh anchovies in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, by artisan Kim Myeong-su since 1961. The production process also emphasizes traditional methods and natural fermentation.
In the long term, Hyundai Department Store plans to introduce Myung-in Myung-chon Kimchi to overseas premium gourmet markets. It also plans to support the expansion of overseas sales channels for individual artisan-made ingredients, such as salt and salted seafood, in addition to finished kimchi products.
Jang Woo-seok, executive director and head of Hyundai Department Store's Food Business Division, said, "Myung-in Myung-chon Kimchi was developed to bring high-quality ingredients discovered in production areas across the country, along with the flavors of kimchi passed down in each region, to our customers' tables." He added, "We will expand our position in the premium kimchi market through differentiated quality rooted in artisan ingredients with deep traditions and meticulous production processes."
[email protected] Jang Yu-ha Reporter