This study is conducted to investigate to the consumption pattern of Kimchi and perception about the functional Kimchi of consumer. The survey was done between October 1 to October 15, 2011 among 294 male and female adults aged 19 and over in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do areas. The gender distribution of subjects was 33.3% males and 66.7% females. 64.3% of subjects prepared Kimchi by themselves, 23.5% of subjects received Kimchi from relatives and 12.2% of subjects purchased Kimchi from the market. In addition, the rate of preparing Kimchi at home is highest in those aged fifty or over. Only 41.8% of subjects knew how to make Kimchi. 72.1% of subjects responded that they ate Kimchi one or more a day. 46.6% of subjects have purchased commercial Chinese cabbage Kimchi. The amount of one-time purchase of commercial Kimchi were investigated; 45.2% of subjects have been buying 500-1 kg, 34.4% of the subjects bought less than 500 g, and 11.2% of subjects bought 1-3 kg. 28.2% of subjects buy Kimchi at the supermarket and warehouse market. With regard to the evaluation of Kimchi taste, most consumers were not satisfied with the sweetness of Kimchi. In this result, the perception about functional Kimchi was very low. Consumer's demands were as follows: nutrient enhancement, strengthening of biologically active substances, lactic acid bacteria enhancement in order. Small sales units were preferred by the consumers, and complementation of sweetness of kimchi was required. Various Kimchi including functional Kimchi must be developed to meet the needs of consumers.

• 김주현 | Kim, Juhyeon