Fewer Housewives Make Kimchi at Home

Around 70 percent of housewives in their 30s and 40s living in Seoul and the nearby metropolitan areas do not make kimchi at home, according to a straw poll by food company CJ Cheiljedang.

Out of 400 respondents, 69.6 percent said that they are not planning to make kimchi this winter. Most Koreans used to have traditions of what is called "kimjang" -- making and sharing large quantities of kimchi ahead of winter -- to ensure that they have enough of the staple side dish throughout the long winter season.

Some 29.6 percent said that they are going to buy packaged kimchi.

But one-third of respondents said they will still make kimchi by themselves, as they want to keep traditions of kimjang or do not prefer packaged kimchi in terms of quality and price.