[Digging Travel] Kimchi and Shrimp Jeot Recognized for Anti-Cancer Effects Once Served on Royal Table Together

⑤Gwangcheon-eup, Hongseong-gun Emerging as a Gourmet City through Kim and Togul Saeujeot
The Scientific Taste Created by Togul: 'Gwangcheon Saeujeot'
'Rice Thief' Gwangcheon Gim Now Captivates Global Palates through Exports
'Squid Game' Encountered at Traditional Market... Gwangcheon Gim and Togul Saeujeot Festival Gains Attention

'Kimchi,' an essential item on the Korean dining table, owes its flavor to various ingredients, among which jeotgal (fermented seafood) plays a crucial role in determining its depth after fermentation. For this reason, Gwangcheon-eup in Hongseong-gun, Chungnam Province, has established itself as a representative 'taste destination' in Korea, attracting diligent housewives every autumn in search of special saeujeot (fermented shrimp).

The area around Gwangcheon Traditional Market in Gwangcheon-eup, Hongseong-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, has been a famous salted shrimp market since the Joseon Dynasty, bustling with housewives from all over the country during the kimchi-making season.
[Photo by Kim Heeyoon]

The 28th Gwangcheon Kim and Cave Saeujeot Grand Festival, representing this region, will be held from the 13th to the 15th at Gwangcheon Traditional Market in Gwangcheon-eup, Hongseong-gun, Chungnam Province. The kim festival, which represents Gwangcheon as much as saeujeot, has been integrated with the Cave Saeujeot Festival, drawing not only housewives but also travelers seeking new tastes, gaining attention as a festival that leads visitors.

The Best Among Saeujeot! The Benefits and 'Secret of Taste' of Gwangcheon Cave Saeujeot

Human exploration of taste has continued for a long time, but scholars believe it began with the discovery of 'saltiness.' Adding salt to vegetables, grains, and meats not only makes them edible but also extends their preservation period, leading to salt being called the 'first taste.'

Alvin Toffler, an American futurist, defined the taste of sauces and seasonings made to enhance flavor as the second taste, and the taste of fermented and matured foods as the third taste. Gwangcheon saeujeot starts from the first taste and achieves the third taste, making it a complete food product.

At the Togul Saeujeot complex in Ongam-ri, Gwangcheon-eup, tens of thousands of tons of salted seafood are being aged in about 40 caves. During the '2023 Gwangcheon Gim and Togul Saeujeot Festival,' held from the 13th to the 15th, visitors can directly visit the caves and purchase saeujeot on-site.
[Photo by Kim Heeyoon]

In particular, Gwangcheon Cave Saeujeot is a premium jeotgal matured in caves where the salinity of Cheonsuman Bay and natural conditions maintain a constant temperature of 14~16 degrees Celsius and humidity above 85% throughout the year. It has been the choice of discerning housewives for decades. Omnivorous shrimp feed on plankton, and their gallbladders are said to contain medicinal components during digestion. The shrimp gallbladder has excellent digestive and detoxifying abilities, breaking down prey 5 to 10 times larger than its body into ultrafine liquid particles instantly.

Through this, saeujeot made from shrimp contains bezoar sulfate, which detoxifies and lowers cholesterol levels in the blood, proving to have excellent detoxification and anticancer effects.

The history of Gwangcheon saeujeot dates back to the Goryeo Dynasty. The history of saeujeot, which began in Gwangcheon Ongampo (饔巖浦), famous for shrimp production, continued until the late Joseon Dynasty, when shrimp fishing boats operating around ten islands on the west coast docked at Ongampo to sell their catch, forming a full-fledged shrimp market.

The Gwangcheon Cave Saeujeot we know today was first developed in the 1960s. At that time, merchant Yoon Myeong-won, who sold saeujeot locally, recalled that caves where he had worked in the mining industry maintained a constant temperature of 14~15 degrees Celsius. To store saeujeot that would spoil or change flavor during fermentation, he dug a cave halfway up a mountain in Ongam-ri to store it, which became the origin of Dokbae Village in Ongam-ri, Gwangcheon-eup. The saeujeot matured for three months in the cave was far superior in taste and aroma to other jeotgal, gaining nationwide word of mouth and activating the cave saeujeot market in Gwangcheon.

Gwangcheon Gim is a representative local specialty recognized for its taste, having been served on the royal table during the Joseon Dynasty. Recently, through overseas exports, it has captivated the global palate as a global snack beyond just a side dish for rice, establishing itself as the "semiconductor of the sea."
[Photo by Kim Heeyoon]

The 'Rice Thief' Gwangcheon Gim, Served on the King's Royal Table

Hongseong-gun, where merchants and capital gathered along with fresh seafood including shrimp, has long served as the cultural, historical, administrative, and transportation center of the 'Naepo (內浦) cultural zone' representing the northwest of Chungcheongnam-do. Naturally, the food culture developed, and along with saeujeot, 'Gwangcheon Gim' has become a proper noun recognized and praised not only nationwide but also worldwide.

Gwangcheon gim is crispy, not salty, and has a mild flavor. It retains the old-fashioned taste of being roasted with perilla oil, making it a 'rice thief' favored by both elders and children alike, frequently appearing on dining tables.

Currently, there are 34 gim manufacturing companies in Gwangcheon-eup, of which 14 export gim overseas. Known as the 'semiconductor of the sea,' gim is expanding beyond a side dish to become a special snack abroad. Accordingly, Hongseong-gun is supporting branding of Gwangcheon Gim with about 600 million KRW in budget for seafood product development, export support, and quality improvement, while investing 2.25 billion KRW to build shared infrastructure (frozen storage) for raw material storage, actively expanding facilities.

Moreover, Hongseong-gun is making special efforts to secure raw materials for Gwangcheon gim production. Amid growing public concerns about seafood due to the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima, Japan, last year Hongseong-gun succeeded in restoring gim aquaculture farms in Cheonsuman at Namdang-ri, Seobu-myeon, marking the first step in reviving gim aquaculture in Cheonsuman since 1985. This laid the foundation for producing gim that can be safely consumed as local food.

Hongseon Oseosan is also known as the 'Lighthouse of the West Sea,' and in autumn, the golden silver grass covering the area around the summit, overlooking the West Coast sea and small islands, attracts attention as a scenic spot.
[Photo by Gwangcheon-eup]

West Sea Under the Golden Silver Grass Ridge... The Charm of Oseosan (嗚棲山)

In autumn, Oseosan, embracing coastal scenery and silver grass fields, begins to fully display its charm to travelers visiting Gwangcheon in search of aged saeujeot and gim. Standing at 791 meters above sea level, Oseosan lies on the border between Hongseong and Boryeong in Chungnam Province and is the highest mountain in the West Sea region, known as the 'Lighthouse of the West Sea.'

After passing the mid-mountain and the 90% ridge, from Oseojeong pavilion to the summit, a 2 km stretch, silver silver grass sways gently in the autumn breeze welcoming visitors. Although not as large as famous silver grass fields, the golden spectacle unfolds as the sun sets behind Cheonsuman Bay, the West Sea, and its small islands beyond the silver grass, creating an unforgettable view where mountain, sea, and sky light harmonize.

Cozy yet special scenery, Gwangcheon-eup, boasting long history and depth with its famous saeujeot and gim, plans to offer diverse programs for tourists seeking the taste and beauty of autumn through this year's Gwangcheon Kim and Cave Saeujeot Festival.

At Gwangcheon Traditional Market, various traditional games including the lottery and hopscotch featured in Squid Game are held under the title "Golmokdaejang" from the 4th until the period of the Gwangcheon Gim and Salted Shrimp Festival.
[Photo by Kim Heeyoon]

'Squid Game' Encountered at the Traditional Market... Diverse Programs of the Gwangcheon Kim and Cave Saeujeot Festival

The Gwangcheon Kim and Cave Saeujeot Festival will feature on the 13th: △Porter and merchant parade performance △Opening ceremony △Opening celebration performance; on the 14th: △81-meter gimbap rolling △Tourist and citizen singing contest. On the final day, the 15th, △Fusion Gugak (traditional Korean music) Headream and △National Housewives Singing Contest finals will be held. Side programs include the 10th Hongseong National Housewives Singing Contest preliminaries on the 13th and the Gwangcheon specialty product export consultation meeting on the 14th.

Additionally, consumer participation programs include △Gim roasting experience △Cave saeujeot kimchi making △Gwangcheon gim and shrimp rice cake pounding △Cave experience △Gim toss game △Find the flag △Jeotgal rice set poetry △Beef & pork tasting △Traditional game experiences.

At Gwangcheon Traditional Market, various traditional games including the lottery and Ddakji game featured in Squid Game are held under the title "Golmokdaejang" from the 4th until the Gwangcheon Gim and Salted Shrimp Festival period.
[Photo by Kim Heeyoon]

Special plans targeting MZ generation tourists have also been prepared. For two months in September and October, Gwangcheon-eup is offering traditional game experiences such as △Mugunghwa flower has bloomed (a Korean version of 'Red Light, Green Light') △Four corners △Jegichagi (shuttlecock kicking) △Ttakji chigi (card flipping game) △Large yutnori (traditional Korean board game) △Dalgona candy picking △Marble odd-even game through the 'Gwangcheon Traditional Market Alley Leader Project.'

As autumn ripens, why not enjoy the deep flavors and new pleasures while exploring the growing local attractions alongside the festive spirit at Gwangcheon Traditional Market in Gwangcheon-eup?

Directions

▲By car: From Seoul, take the Seohaean Expressway and enter via Hongseong IC or Gwangcheon IC; it takes about 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours to reach Gwangcheon-eup. From Daejeon, take the Daejeon-Dangjin Expressway, exit at Yesan or Sudeoksa IC, and take Route 21 towards Hongseong. It takes about 1 hour 30 minutes from Daejeon.

▲By train: Use the Janghang Line to arrive at Hongseong Station and Gwangcheon Station. It takes about 2 hours 10 minutes from Seoul Yongsan Station to Gwangcheon Station (14 trips daily). The Seohae Golden Light Tourist Train departing from Yongsan Station is also recommended.