Kang Kum Nyo, a researcher at the Sports Medicine Institute of the DPRK, told KCNA:

Kochujang stimulates appetite and accelerates digestion.

Kochujang, as well as kimchi, always top the list of dishes the Korean athletes would urgently need in alien countries.

Ho Kyun, an author of "Life of Hong Kil Dong", was said to get a taste of Kochujang during his exile days, which dated back to the year 1611. Kochujang has been believed to be developed in the country after it began cultivating pepper.

When Koreans lose appetite abroad they usually take Kochujang to encourage appetite. While I was abroad with athletes, I found out that Kochujang gives somewhat mental and physiological effect on the athletes.

Hot peppers of some other countries are two to three times more pungent than that of Korea, but they are less than half in amino acid and sugar contents. Thus, the Korean Kochujang made with locally-cultivated hot pepper gives peculiar taste and is highly nutrient.