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1
Trim the leafy tails of each chonggak radish to 10–15 cm, leaving them attached, since the tails will later carry the yangnyeom into the heart of the ferment. Halve any radishes thicker than 3 cm lengthwise, keeping tail and root connected. Toss the radishes with the coarse sea salt in a large bowl, turning to coat both the root body and the tails, then leave at room temperature for 2–3 hours, turning every 45 minutes so the salt draws moisture evenly from root to leaf junction rather than from the surface alone. The radish body is ready when it yields slightly under firm thumb pressure but still resists — not limp, not rigid.
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2
Rinse the salted radishes twice in cold water, then taste a piece of root at its thickest point — it should be seasoned through to the centre without tasting sharply salty. Drain in a colander for 20 minutes, then spread on a clean cloth and pat dry, since excess surface water will thin the yangnyeom and rob the fermentation of the concentrated, briny environment it needs to develop cleanly.
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3
Combine the gochugaru, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, saeujeot, sugar, and spring onion in a bowl and mix to a uniform paste. This is the yangnyeom.
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4
This is where the dish lives or dies. Wearing gloves, work the yangnyeom into each radish by hand, coating the root body thoroughly and pressing the paste deep into the junction where the tails meet the root, because it is through this channel that the paste migrates inward as the ferment progresses. Every surface, root to leaf tip, must carry an even, visible coating — an uncoated zone at the root interior will remain bland throughout the entire fermentation and cannot be corrected afterwards.
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5
Pack the coated radishes tightly into a clean fermentation vessel, alternating the direction of successive layers — roots toward one side, then roots toward the other — so that leafy tails and root bodies interleave and no large air pockets form between them. Press each layer down firmly before adding the next, then seal the vessel so that the brine rising from the radishes keeps the contents submerged and fermentation proceeds in an airless environment.
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6
Ferment at 15–18°C for 3–5 days, opening the vessel once daily to press the contents down and submerge any radishes that have floated above the brine, since exposed surfaces will sour unevenly and may carry off-flavours into the rest of the jar. On day 3, press a thumbnail into the thickest part of a root — the flesh should offer clean resistance — then bite through: the juices should burst with an effervescent, lightly carbonated quality from active fermentation gases. At this point, transfer to the refrigerator to slow fermentation; the kimchi deepens over subsequent weeks.