Story By: James King, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash

South Korea has accused China of stealing a pickle recipe that is part of the country’s cultural heritage and claiming it as their own.

The two countries are arguing over who first came up with Kimchi, a salted vegetable dish with radish.

Chinese media said that Beijing has been awarded ‘international certification’ for Kimchi production.

However, Seoul’s ministry of agriculture has responded by saying that the Chinese dish in question is called pao cai, another type of vegetable consumed in China.

In a statement, the ministry said that “this dish has nothing to do with Kimchi” which is called a “fundamental” part of Korean culture.

The ministry added that the international certification only included four countries, all of them close allies to China.

The process of making Kimchi, which involves washing and salting vegetable, adding garlic, red pepper and salted fish and then burying them underground in a clay pot, was designated as part of the Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2013.

The latest argument over China’s cultural appropriation follows one over clothes.

South Korean media recently claimed that China had been trying to pass off the Korean national dress the Hanbok as Chinese.

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