Gwangyang City Filled with Spring Energy from Gorosoe Sap and Maehwa Flower Buds

Mystical Mineral Water 'Gwangyang Baegunsan Gorosoe' Officially Shipped

Fragrant Plum Blossom Buds Pop at Sohakjeong

Gwangyang City in Jeollanam-do announced that from the 20th, Gwangyang Baegunsan Gorosoe will be shipped in full swing, and the fragrant plum blossoms at Sohakjeong in Daap-myeon are bursting their buds, exciting tourists who are waiting for the new spring.

‘Gwangyang Baegunsan Gorosoe,’ harvested from the pristine Baegunsan Gorosoe trees, is one of the nine delicacies of Gwangyang and is rich in minerals and magnesium. It has been proven by the National Institute of Forest Science to have osteoporosis improvement effects.

[Photo by Gwangyang-si]

According to legend, after the monk Doseon Guksa meditated, he could not straighten his knees, but after drinking Gorosoe sap, he immediately stood up. Because of this, Gorosoe was called Golisoo (骨利樹), meaning “tree beneficial to bones,” and through phonetic changes, it became Gorosoe.

Also, during a battle with Silla, the Baekje army, facing defeat, regained their energy and morale by drinking sap dripping from a Gorosoe tree pierced by arrows, leading them to victory.

Registered as the 16th geographical indication by the Korea Forest Service, Gwangyang Baegunsan Gorosoe is distributed only after a refining process and can be purchased through the Gorosoe Mineral Water Agricultural Cooperative and local agricultural cooperatives in each eup, myeon, and dong.

At mountain lodges on the slopes of Baegunsan and various places in the city, restaurants offering savory Gwangyang chicken charcoal-grilled dishes paired with Gwangyang Baegunsan Gorosoe are lined up, receiving enthusiastic responses.

Additionally, the plum trees at Sohakjeong in Daap-myeon, which bloom first every year after enduring the cold winter, are once again bursting with modest buds this year, bringing excitement to tourists awaiting spring.

The 23rd Gwangyang Plum Blossom Festival will be held for ten days from March 8 to 17 under the theme “Gwangyang Plum Blossom, Embracing K-Culture” and the slogan “Spring has blossomed as the plum blossoms arrive.”

Gwangyang City is accelerating preparations to welcome citizens and tourists with differentiated core content and tourism readiness that can only be experienced at the Gwangyang Plum Blossom Festival, targeting trends that emphasize special experiences.

Kim Seongsu, Director of Tourism, said, “Gwangyang, the city of light and sunshine, is a city of vitality and life where sap rises in Gorosoe trees and plum buds burst even in the freezing midwinter.” He added, “During the cold and dry winter, we hope people boost their immunity and recharge their vitality through a trip to Gwangyang, where food is abundant and spring arrives first.”

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seonsik hss79@asiae.co.kr