The gold-prize-winning pepper japchae kimbap at the 2026 Gimcheon Kimbap Cooking Contest. [Gimcheon City]
The gold-prize-winning pepper japchae kimbap at the 2026 Gimcheon Kimbap Cooking Contest. [Gimcheon City]

Gimcheon city in North Gyeongsang Province announced Tuesday that "pepper japchae kimbap" had been named the winner of the 2026 Gimcheon Kimbap Cooking Contest.

Now in its third year, the contest was held Saturday at the nutrition and cooking facility of the Gimcheon Public Health Center under the theme "Gimcheon kimbap at the heart of K-food," drawing 144 teams from across the country.

The gold prize went to the team of Moon Chan-hee and Kim Ji-hye for their pepper japchae kimbap. The entry earned recognition for its rich flavor and commercial appeal by harmonizing spicy and savory notes using Gimcheon rice and black pork from Jirye.

The silver prize went to the team of Jeong Ji-heon and Jeong Ji-hye for their "rainstorm black pork grilled bulgogi kimbap," while the bronze prize went to the team of Choi Seong-bin and Shin Jae-hyeok for their "Chupungnyeong black pork katsu kimbap."

Four additional teams received honorable mentions.

The kimbap from the top three teams will be sold at the 2026 Gimcheon Kimbap Festival, set to run Oct. 23–25.

"With so many participants from across the country helping make this a successful competition, we plan to carry that momentum all the way to the October festival," said Park Mi-jeong, head of Gimcheon's tourism policy division. "We hope many people will take an interest and come visit our ever-evolving kimbap festival."

The 2026 Gimcheon Kimbap Festival runs three days, Oct. 23–25, at Jikji Culture Park and Samyeongdaesa Park. The city plans to overhaul its ordering and payment systems for visitor convenience and expand the festival's spaces and programming.


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com