South Korea and Poland have found new grounds for economic collaboration based on their shared love for fermented cabbage, with the Korean food company Daesang set to open its first European factory in Poland by 2024.
In South Korean cuisine, the combination of fermented cabbage, garlic and chilli is known as kimchi and regularly accompanies the flagship dishes of the country’s gastronomy, such as bibimbap (mixture of rice and vegetables) and bulgogi (a kind of barbecue). Meanwhile, in Poland, fermented cabbage is an important part of bigos, a traditional dish served during the Christmas period.
With these culinary similarities, Daesang has decided to open a factory in southern Poland, with an investment worth 11 million euros, as reported by French broadcaster RFI. Part of the logic comes from an agricultural standpoint, with Poland being the leader producer of cabbage in the EU, producing around 1 million tonnes per year.
However, cabbage is not the only area of cooperation between the two nations. Since the war in Ukraine, Poland has decided it is necessary to equip itself with one of the largest armies in Europe. This has therefore led to an expansion in the defence budget, and Poland has turned to South Korea to buy nearly 900 combat tanks, 600 howitzers and fifty fighter planes. The deal, which totals around 15 billion euros, will be Seoul’s largest ever arms export deal.
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