[Editor's note] Forests are full of treasures. Mushrooms including pine mushrooms, omija, wild ginseng, and dried persimmons—forest products produced in Korea's forests—generate more than 7 trillion won in sales. As interest in health and sustainability has grown through the pandemic and the climate crisis, the future value of resources from forests is rising further. The value chain of forest products does not end with cultivation and harvesting. It is expanding into a sixth-sector industry that encompasses processing and distribution, tourism, and experiences. This is becoming a new growth engine for local economies and communities. We reexamine the value of forests as a platform that goes beyond ecological space to connect economy, culture, and health.
Hamyang in South Gyeongsang Province, bordered by Deogyusan to the north and Jirisan Mountain to the south, has long been active ground for wild ginseng diggers. With 78% of the county covered by mountains, Hamyang has high elevation and germanium-rich soil, yielding a variety of forest products including wild ginseng. Among them, the region's signature specialty is cultivated wild ginseng.
Cultivated wild ginseng refers to ginseng produced in mountain areas in conditions as close as possible to the wild, without installing artificial facilities such as shade nets. Ginseng is broadly divided into wild ginseng and cultivated ginseng. Wild ginseng literally means wild ginseng that grows in the mountains. Cultivated ginseng is divided into cultivated wild ginseng and ginseng.
Both ginseng and cultivated wild ginseng belong, in plant classification, to the genus Panax in the Araliaceae family. The difference is that cultivated wild ginseng is grown in the mountains over a long period in natural conditions, while ginseng is grown in fields with shade nets and irrigation facilities. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used in ginseng cultivation, but not for cultivated wild ginseng. The growing period for ginseng is up to six years, while cultivated wild ginseng is typically grown for more than 10 years. In the past, cultivated wild ginseng was called jangnoesam and sanyangsansam, but the Korea Forest Service standardized the name as "cultivated wild ginseng."
Their uses also differ. Among ginseng types, fresh ginseng that has not been dried and hydroponically grown ginseng (sprout ginseng) are used for raw consumption, while dried white ginseng is used as a medicinal herb, and red ginseng and black ginseng, made by repeatedly steaming and drying, are used as ingredients for health functional foods. Cultivated wild ginseng was recognized as a food ingredient in 2024, but because the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety has not yet recognized it as a health functional food ingredient, it can only be used as a food.
According to the Korea Forest Service's cultivated wild ginseng statistics survey on the 24th (2024), production of cultivated wild ginseng is 254 tons, about one-hundredth that of ginseng (22,223 tons). In terms of production value, cultivated wild ginseng stands at 62.9 billion won, about one-thirteenth that of ginseng (799.2 billion won). Because of the high added value of cultivated wild ginseng, the gap in production value is not large compared to the production scale.
◇ Ginseng that does not grow again where it was once dug… also sensitive to sunlight
How is cultivated wild ginseng grown? With that question in mind, we visited Hamyang in South Gyeongsang on the 20th. Seo Gyeong-jin (73), who has grown cultivated wild ginseng in Hamyang since 2009, pointed it out to the reporter while climbing the mountain, saying, "This is cultivated wild ginseng." Leaves spread from a stem that rose about 30 centimeters above the ground, and red berries were formed at the tip.
"There are seeds inside this berry. The seeds formed like this sometimes fall naturally, and if I pick them and sow them in a suitable spot, they germinate from the seeds in the berries and take root." Seo explained the sowing process.
Seo continued, "Curiously, once ginseng has grown in a spot, it will not grow there again even if you sow it. It's because the ginseng has absorbed the soil's fertility, or there are ginseng-related fungi or pathogens in the ground," adding, "Density management is also important. If you plant ginseng too densely, they stress each other through interference. Problems also arise with fine roots becoming entangled."
Asked by the reporter, "Where does cultivated wild ginseng grow well?" Seo said, "It grows well on east- or north-facing slopes. Avoid south- and west-facing slopes with abundant sunlight."
For core cultivation management, he cited weeding and mole control. Seo said, "Regular weeding is essential to grow cultivated wild ginseng well. If weeds are dense, the ginseng cannot grow properly," adding, "Rodents such as moles often damage ginseng roots, so control must be done well."
Suddenly Seo shouted, "There's a snake. Be careful." It was a pit viper with a triangular head. Asked, "It seems dangerous every time you go into the mountains; don't you catch them?" Seo replied, "Snakes are natural enemies of moles. They are reinforcements for me," adding, "Where shade-loving crops like cultivated wild ginseng are grown, snakes are bound to appear."
◇ Gently, gently digging ginseng… the more you chew the root, the sweeter it gets
"Shall we dig one up?" After saying that, Seo brought a ginseng-digging hoe. It had a distinctive shape with two long hooks. After choosing which plant to dig, Seo made the first cut with the hoe about 10 centimeters away from the stem. Then he slipped his hand into the soil, gently dusting as he moved toward the ginseng root. He carefully swept the bottom so fine rootlets would not snap.
Soon a ginseng with long fine roots came up. Seo said, "This root is at least eight years old," adding, "For ginseng, people prefer a thick main root body, but for cultivated wild ginseng, long and many fine roots are considered premium."
"Now that we've dug it up, shall we try it?" Seo washed the dug-up ginseng root in water. A bit of soil still clung to it, but he said that was fine to eat. "Start with the root." The first taste was not as bitter as expected. Rather, the sweetness deepened the longer I chewed. Compared with the fine roots, the main body was tougher and less flavorful. After finishing the ginseng, my mouth felt refreshed. The eye fatigue from long-distance driving seemed to wash away.
Seo said with a smile, "There may be people who have never eaten cultivated wild ginseng, but there is no one who has eaten it only once," adding, "Once you taste it and experience the effects, you keep seeking it out."
◇ Premium K-cultivated wild ginseng… expanding into overseas markets
Hamyang is the largest production area for cultivated wild ginseng in the southern region. Annual output is about 16 tons. In Korea, outside Hamyang, cultivated wild ginseng is widely grown in Hongcheon, Pyeongchang, and Hoengseong in Gangwon. In particular, Hamyang has the highest production value per kilogram. This clearly shows the value of Hamyang's cultivated wild ginseng.
Local government and the Korea Forest Service made major contributions to Hamyang establishing itself as a cultivated wild ginseng hub. In 2004, Hamyang County created a wild ginseng department for the first time in the country and encouraged local forestry workers to grow cultivated wild ginseng. Although cultivation is not easy, the county saw it as a high-income forest product that could boost farm income and revitalize the local economy.
Hamyang County also introduced the "cultivated wild ginseng production traceability system," the first in the country. It verifies cultivation information such as the producer and farm location and discloses cultivation processes and test results for pesticide and heavy metal detection. The county also independently conducts guardian activities to crack down on substandard ginseng, such as transplanting field-grown ginseng into mountains, striving to produce premium cultivated wild ginseng.
In step with these efforts by Hamyang County, the Korea Forestry Promotion Institute (KoFPI) of the Korea Forest Service established the Cultivated Wild Ginseng Specialized Industry Promotion Center in Hamyang to support management and commercialization by local forestry households.
Exports are also yielding results. On the 14th, a shipment ceremony was held in Hamyang for cultivated wild ginseng processed products bound for Yantai, China. The export items are "i-kinopi" and "Gluco Care," developed by Hamyang Sanyangsam, a cultivated wild ginseng processing corporation based in Hamyang. The export volume is worth about 250 million won.
According to the Korea Forest Service, exports of domestically produced cultivated wild ginseng totaled $3.09 million last year. That is up 128% from the previous year's $1.35 million.
A Korea Forest Service official said, "Although the global export environment has become very difficult recently, exports of major forest products such as cultivated wild ginseng are increasing," adding, "We will make every effort to expand item-specific promotion so export channels for K-forest products can be diversified."