Photos by @junmichaelpark @seoulphotographer for @nytimes / November is kimjang or kimchi making season in Korea. Traditionally, families and neighbors would come together to share the demanding task of preparing kimchi for the coming year. 

Kimjang was a communal and festive occasion, where people enjoyed the freshly made kimchi with boiled pork and drinks.

In recent years, as young people in cities have become too busy with their lives, many have turned to purchasing commercialized kimchi from supermarkets rather than joining kimjang. Many had never even learned how to make kimchi on their own.

The town of Goesan, in central South Korea, saw an opportunity in this trend. They decided to organize kimchi-making workshops and a festival, bringing together urban families, who wish to make kimchi, and local farmers, who produce the ingredients. Last year’s first-ever Goesan Kimjang Festival drew 80,000 visitors over three days.

NYT’s Seoul Bureau Chief Choe Sang-hun and I visited Goesan a few weeks ago to profile this year’s Kimjang festival. With Covid restrictions in place, everyone wore a mask and tents were set up for individual families to make kimchi side by side. We had a great time talking to workshop participants and tasting freshly-made, delicious kimchi.

Many thanks to photo editor Mikko Takkunen for this fun assignment. You can read the story here.

(Text editing by M.)