Digital creators are partnering with South Korea’s Culture Ministry to correct global misunderstandings about Korean culture through the FACTS: KOREA initiative. Cookim, Hailey Kim and Jannah Kim are among the creators involved in videos that address food, history and tourist-site errors. The service will mark its 10th anniversary on Sept. 1, after correcting more than 20,000 cases worldwide as of July 2026. The ministry is also launching anniversary events and commemorative videos across its website and social media.
Cookim, a content creator with 1.6 million YouTube subscribers, released "FACTS: KOREA" collaboration videos addressing culinary misconceptions about Korean food. Captured from Cookim's social media
For social media feeds, gimbap often gets dismissed as Japanese sushi, and kimchi’s signature bite is mistaken for a splash of vinegar. To Cookim — a creator with 1.6 million YouTube subscribers—those lazy comparisons miss the point entirely.
"Gimbap isn't 'Korean sushi.' It’s a completely distinct dish with its own history, flavor and identity," says Cookim (@Cookim97), whose channel banner reads like a personal mission statement: Korean food to the world.
That drive is clear in one of his viral hits, which racked up over 120,000 views in seven months. In it, he sets the record straight on kimchi, patiently explaining that its famous sourness comes from slow, traditional fermentation — not a splash of vinegar.
