Translation result
[iNews24 reporter Kim Da-woon] A restaurant inside the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam described a kimchi sandwich as “Japanese-style,” raising concerns that visitors could be misled into thinking kimchi is a Japanese dish.
Professor Seo Kyung-deok of Sungshin Women’s University told followers on social media on the 4th that he learned about the issue after netizens alerted him and that he confirmed with Bistro Vincent that the restaurant does sell a kimchi sandwich.
Professor Seo criticized the restaurant’s description, noting the menu states the dishes are “inspired by the Netherlands, France and Japan — countries that influenced Vincent van Gogh,” and that it “adds a Japanese touch to authentic French cuisine using premium Dutch ingredients.”
He said the restaurant appears to be presenting kimchi in a way that could be interpreted as Japanese.
Seo warned that the Van Gogh Museum attracts many international visitors, and that such labeling could easily create the false impression among tourists that kimchi is Japanese. He said the restaurant must correct the description.
According to Yonhap, Van Gogh was fascinated by Japanese colored woodblock prints, or ukiyo-e, and collected hundreds of them. The restaurant likely used kimchi — a well-known Asian food — as a nod to Van Gogh’s artistic inspirations.
Critics say the menu created room for misunderstanding by calling the item “Japanese-style” without acknowledging kimchi’s Korean origins.
Seo added that similar incidents have occurred across Europe. He pointed to a controversy when the German supermarket chain ALDI’s website listed kimchi as “Japanese kimchi,” and cited a Spanish company that sold a kimchi sauce bottle featuring a woman in a Japanese kimono — both of which prompted backlash.
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