My very first kimchi

Heyho all,

yesterday I made kimchi for the very first time. Since my girlfriend doesn’t like “Sauerkraut” (a non-spicy, german version of kimchi from fermented cabbage) I started off with the radish kimchi.
I used soy sauce instead of fish sauce. The fish sauce is just too fishy for us.
The gochugaru I got my hands on a in a local asian supermarket is “Nongshim Farmer’s Market Red Chili Pepper Powder”. The reviews are quite good and recommend it especially for kimchi. This brand seems to be on the milder side, what I really like. Of course I have no base for comparison. It’s the first gochugaru I bought, used and tasted.
Freshly made the taste of the kimchi was nice. Spicy, but not too spicy. Slightly sweet and salty, very garlicky (actually next time I’ll use less) and with a mild aftertaste of ginger.
It didn’t start to ferment yet so I can’t even say whether I’ll like it or not in the end.
The kimchi seems to be a bit dry. I can barely submerge it and press it down regularly to prevent spoilage. Maybe it’ll draw out some more moisture. But there’re no air bubbles as I can see.
I’m curious how this’ll turn out.