Koreans’ favorite fermented dish, kimchi, is likely to make it to the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO.
 
The Cultural Heritage Administration said Thursday that a subsidiary body of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage has decided to recommend kimchi and kimjang, or the making of kimchi, as an intangible cultural heritage.
 
UNESCO will make a final decision on kimchi and kimjang at the eighth session of the Intergovernmental Committee, which will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan in December.
 
The subsidiary body recommends whether to inscribe, not inscribe or refer a cultural heritage to the Intergovernmental Committee. As the panel has recommended the inscription of kimchi, the spicy dish is highly likely to become South Korea's 16th intangible cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO.
 
Currently, South Korea's intangible cultural heritages on the UNESCO list include the royal ancestral rituals and music of Jongmyo Shrine, the traditional form of musical storytelling known as "pansori," and the Gangneung Danoje Festival.