( CNN ) -- Kimchi-making season is upon South Korea , with grocery stores besieged with housewives snapping up buckets of giant cabbages , salt and red pepper powder -- or more often these days buying pre-made kimchi so they do n't have to go to the trouble . In one of Seoul 's more unusual sights , 3,000 housewives marked the start of the period in which the ingredients are at their freshest , with the country 's biggest kimchi-making event to date in front of Seoul 's City Plaza on Wednesday . Armed with aprons , rubber gloves and sanitary shower caps , the women stuffed and spiced a whopping 61,700 cabbages to provide 25,000 families with their essential side dish -- that 's 250 tons of fermented spicy cabbage . The mayor of Seoul presided over the festival , which was a charity event started by a Busan Yakult saleswoman in 2001 to provide kimchi to poorer households , and evolved into an annual national event in 2008 , according to Korean daily Joongang Ilbo . The numbers are so large , organizers announced they 're approaching Guinness to establish a new World Record category . CNN Travel 's series often carries sponsorship originating from the countries and regions we profile . However CNN retains full editorial control over all of its reports . Read the policy .
It 's kimchi season in South Korea . A record number of housewives turned out for the country 's largest kimchi charity event . The annual Kimchi Festival is a huge hit with Koreans, and it was no different this year as more than 100,000 people packed into Seoul to celebrate their favorite Korean dish.