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Late autumn is Kimjang season in the Republic of Korea when families and communities come together to make and share large quantities of kimchi to ensure that every household has enough to sustain it through the long, harsh winter.

This story is part of series Hidden Kitchens: Kimchi Diplomacy \\u2014 War & Peace and Food

\\u201cKimchi is everywhere in Korea. It\\u2019s like air,\\u201d says Hyunjoo Albrecht, a San Francisco-based chef who grew up near the DMZ border between South and North Korea.\\xa01.5 million tons of kimchi are eaten each year in Korea and there are hundreds of different varieties.

South Korea is one of the nations most involved in branding itself through its food, using food as a part of its \\u201csoft power.\\u201d\\xa0It\\u2019s called \\u201cgastrodiplomacy\\u201d\\xa0\\u2014 the use of\\xa0food as a diplomatic tool to help resolve conflicts and foster connections between nations.\\xa0\\u201cThe government gave financial support to some of the Korean restaurants in US,\\u201d says Hyunjoo. \\u201cThey want more people outside Korea to eat more Korean food.\\u201d

Si-Hyeon Ryu is a chef and writer from South Korea who, with support from the government, has traveled in The Kimchi Bus to more than 34 countries cooking traditional Korean food and spreading his love of kimchi. \\u201cPeople on the street, they know just about North and South Korea,\\u201d he says, "but not much about Korean cuisine. \\u201cIf I explain about kimchi they will understand about Korea.\\u201d

Astronaut Soyeon Yi, Korea\\u2019s first astronaut,\\xa0describes\\xa0the\\xa0Korean government\\u2019s efforts to invent kimchi for space travel \\u2014 not an easy task.\\xa0Soyeon Yi prepared a\\xa0special Korean meal for her Russian comrades in space. \\u201cHaving kimchi in space, you are far from your home planet,\\u201d she says. \\u201cWhen you eat your own traditional food it makes you feel emotionally supported. I can feel my home.\\u201d