Keeping It Cool: The Kimchi Storage Revolution

By Jeong Hee Seo

In Korea, November’s crisp air announces the arrival of gimjang—the vibrant, communal kimchi-making season! Families, friends, and neighbors gather around piles of cabbage, slicing, salting, and seasoning in harmony to create this iconic Korean dish—a cherished tradition. The magic of gimjang isn’t just in the spices—it’s in the shared laughter and stories passed down with every batch.

But kimchi has a finicky side when it comes to storage: too cold, it freezes; too warm, it ferments too fast, turning overly sour. Centuries ago, before the luxury of refrigerators, Koreans devised a genius solution: burying large earthenware jars filled with kimchi in the ground. The earth acted like nature’s refrigerator, maintaining the kimchi at just above freezing during the winter.

Fast forward to 1984: GoldStar (now LG) introduced the first kimchi refrigerator. Surprisingly, Koreans weren’t ready to trade in their trusty kimchi jars just yet. The game changer came about 11 years later. With rapid urbanization pushing more Koreans into apartments without yards for burying jars, Mando—a company known for making car parts—stepped into the home appliance market. In 1995, Mando launched the Dimchae, a specialized kimchi refrigerator designed to replicate the jar-in-the-ground effect. It maintained the perfect temperature of -1 – 0°C (30 – 32°F), keeping kimchi fresh and tangy. Dimchae gained fame for its two-lid design, with each lid providing access to a separate storage compartment, setting a new standard for kimchi storage in modern Korean homes.

Dimchae was a hit, sparking a wave of competition. Other appliance companies jumped into the kimchi refrigerator game, leading to a flurry of patent lawsuits. Mando fiercely defended its designs, successfully asserting its patent rights against other companies. However, the battles with industry titans were tougher. One such titan, for instance, countersued Mando, alleging infringement on its air conditioner patents.

As technology advanced, the humble kimchi refrigerator evolved into a versatile, all-in-one appliance. New designs now include compartments for frozen food, meats, and vegetables, blurring the lines between a kimchi refrigerator and a regular refrigerator. Today, over 90% of Korean households own at least one kimchi refrigerator, preserving the nation’s favorite side dish. Interestingly, more beer enthusiasts are also using these refrigerators to store extra-chilled beer cans.

The kimchi refrigerator market has flourished, reflecting its importance in Korean life. A quick search in the Korean Intellectual Property Office’s database reveals over 7,000 Korean patent and utility model applications, 803 Korean design applications, and more than 3,000 Korean trademark applications tied to this beloved appliance.

As gimjang season kicks off, it’s clear Koreans take their kimchi as seriously as their innovation—turning buried jars into high-tech refrigerators. Because when it comes to kimchi, it’s not just about tradition; it’s about making sure that perfect tangy crunch is always within reach, whether you’re in a countryside home or a high-rise!

Jeong Hee Seo is an associate patent attorney at Fishman Stewart. He focuses on protecting a diverse array of technologies, including display systems, semiconductor fabrication, cellular networks, wireless networks, Internet of Things, optical communication devices, and micro-electromechanical systems.