▲ People make "doenjang," a traditional Korean soybean paste, in this undated photo provided by the National Heritage Service. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ This undated image provided by the National Heritage Service shows a woman taking out meju (fermented soybean block) soaked in salt water from an earthenware jar. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ This undated image provided by the National Heritage Service shows the process of putting red jujubes and peppers into an earthenware jar filled with fermented soybean condiment. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ A view of traditional Korean socks (beoseon) and sacred straw ropes (geumjul) hung outside an earthenware jar containing fermented soybean condiment, provided by National Heritage Service (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) UNESCO-cultural heritage

(LEAD) UNESCO most likely to list Korean 'jang-making' culture as cultural heritage

(ATTN: ADDS more background info in paras 4-8; ADDS photo)

SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Yonhap) -- Korea's tradition of making fermented sauces using soybeans is likely to be added to UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage.

UNESCO said Tuesday its deliberative body has categorized "knowledge, beliefs, and practices related to jang-making in South Korea" as recommended for inscription.

"Jang" is a traditional Korean fermented soybean-based condiment foundational to many Korean dishes. It includes several varieties, such as doenjang (soybean paste), ganjang (soy sauce), and gochujang (red pepper paste).

As one of Korea's long-standing food traditions passed down through generations, jang-making encompasses not only the sauce itself but also the entire process, from ingredient preparation to the final product.

Since the Three Kingdoms period (57 B.C.-A.D. 668), Koreans are known to have enjoyed making and consuming jang. During the Joseon Dynasty (1391-1910), jang was so highly valued that royal storerooms were established specifically to store it, with court ladies in charge of its management.

Even among cultures that consume fermented soybeans, Korean jang is noted for its uniqueness. The process includes soybean cultivation, meju (fermented soybean block) production, jang-making, dividing the jang, and steps for aging and fermentation, all of which differ from methods used in China or Japan.

Especially distinctive to Korea is the technique of creating both doenjang and ganjang from the same meju and adding new jang to leftover soy sauce from the previous year, which is considered a uniquely Korean cultural practice. Recognizing its cultural value, jang-making was designated a national intangible heritage in 2018.

The evaluation committee noted Korean jang culture forms the core of Korean culinary tradition, alongside rice and kimchi, and highlighted that each household has its unique taste and method, reflecting the family's history and tradition.

A final decision is expected between Dec. 2-7, when the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage meets in Asuncion, Paraguay.

Applications for the list fall into three categories: "inscribe," "refer" and "not to inscribe." Items recommended for inscription are typically adopted by the committee as part of humanity's intangible cultural heritage.

The "jang"-making culture, if inscribed, would be South Korea's 23rd entry on the UNESCO list, which already includes ancestral royal rites, a percussion instrument performance known as "pansori" and the 5,000-year-old dance "ganggangsullae."

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