Museum Kimchikan, Culinary museum in Insa-dong district, Seoul, South Korea.
Museum Kimchikan is a culinary museum in the Insa-dong district dedicated to the history and making of this Korean fermented vegetable dish. The exhibits display various regional varieties, traditional fermentation vessels, and the tools used in its preparation.
Founded in 1986 as the Kimchi Field Museum, the institution moved to multiple locations over the decades before establishing itself in Insa-dong in 2015. These relocations reflect how Korean food culture gained recognition and support over time.
Kimchi holds a central place in Korean meals and family gatherings, and the museum shows how different regions have their own recipes and traditions around this fermented dish. You can see how preparing and sharing it brings people together across generations.
Visitors can participate in hands-on preparation workshops or simply explore the exhibits at their own pace, depending on interest and available time. A shop in the museum also sells ready-made products to take home.
The museum provides microscopes for visitors to observe the lactic acid bacteria that develop during fermentation. This scientific approach brings a modern lens to understanding how a traditional food is actually made.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
