The process of using fermented beans to make soy sauce or soybean paste has been designated as a national intangible cultural asset.

The Cultural Heritage Administration said Wednesday that the process known as "jang damgeugi" in Korean is the country's second culinary tradition to be designated an intangible cultural asset after the process of making kimchi.

According to historical records, the fermented bean sauce and paste-making dates all the way back to the period of the Three Kingdoms on the Korean Peninsula between 57 BC and the seventh century.

Records show that there was special storage for these sauces and pastes inside the royal palace during the Joseon Dynasty.

The heritage agency said the latest designation was made taking into account the long history of "jang damgeugi," its value to the research of Korea's culinary tradition, as well as its close link to the country's housing tradition.