Netflix's popular variety show Physical: Asia has referred to Kimchi in its Chinese subtitles as 'Sinchi' (辛奇).
On the 27th, Professor Seo Kyung-duk from Sungshin Women's University stated, "In Episode 12 of Physical: Asia, Kimchi was referred to as 'Sinchi' in the Chinese subtitles." He added, "This is the first time Netflix has accurately reflected the correct terminology after being criticized for translating Kimchi as 'Pao Chai', which refers to Chinese pickled vegetables, in several works." Professor Seo further welcomed the use of 'Sinchi' by Netflix, saying, "It will be a significant help in correcting the confusion over Kimchi's identity, as a global platform reflects the official standards of the Korean government."
Earlier, in 2021, the government amended the 'Guidelines for the Translation and Romanization of Public Terms' to specify 'Sinchi' (辛奇) as the correct Chinese term for Kimchi. However, in China, there has been a persistent trend of distorting Kimchi's origins to 'Pao Chai', known as the so-called 'Kimchi War', and Netflix has erroneously translated Kimchi as the Chinese pickled vegetable 'Pao Chai' in numerous productions.
Following this news, some reactions included comments like "Netflix has finally come to its senses" and "We love the subtitle change!".
Meanwhile, Physical: Asia has introduced a national competition format similar to Season 3 of Physical: 100, with 48 participants from eight countries, including Korea, Japan, Thailand, Mongolia, Turkey, Indonesia, Australia, and the Philippines, competing head-to-head. The Korean team emerged as the final winners, taking home a prize of 1 billion KRW.