Songyi Highest Price at 1 Million KRW per kg... Yangyang Songyi Becoming Scarcer Due to Climate Change

Previous Record 1,562,000 Won Last Year
Price Increase Due to Poor Crop Conditions from Heatwave

Yangyang Pine Mushroom Grade 1 auction price per kilogram reached 1.6 million KRW, setting a record high.

On the 1st, the Yangyang-Sokcho Forestry Cooperative announced that on the 30th of last month, the auction price for Yangyang Pine Mushroom Grade 1 was set at 1.6 million KRW per kilogram. This is the highest price ever recorded, surpassing the previous record of 1,562,000 KRW set on September 21 of last year. On the same day, other grades of Yangyang Pine Mushrooms were traded at ▲Grade 2: 1.28 million KRW ▲Grade 3 (growth-stopped product): 635,700 KRW ▲Grade 3 (estimated product): 603,750 KRW ▲Ungraded product: 441,600 KRW.

Wild Songi Pine Mushroom

This year’s first auction for Yangyang Pine Mushrooms began on the 20th of last month, about ten days later than usual. Because the auction was held after the Chuseok holiday, it did not benefit from the holiday demand. Generally, pine mushroom auctions are held when the production volume exceeds 30 kg. The delay in shipment this year was due to poor crop conditions caused by record-breaking heatwaves and droughts. In August, the total rainfall in the Yangyang area was 35.5 mm, less than one-tenth of the 431 mm recorded during the same period last year. Moreover, the average temperature was about 2 degrees higher than last year, negatively affecting pine mushroom growth. As a result, mushroom spores could not develop properly, causing the shipment delay.

Despite the record-high prices, the popularity of Yangyang Pine Mushrooms remains strong. At the first auction on the 20th of last month, Grade 1 pine mushrooms were priced at 1.11 million KRW per kilogram. The price then rose to 1,511,200 KRW at the auction on the 29th and surged to 1.6 million KRW. Last year, Yangyang Pine Mushrooms reached a record high price of 1,562,000 KRW per kilogram for Grade 1 just before Chuseok. The total auction volume last year was 5,322 kg, amounting to 1.86276 billion KRW. However, this year, the total auction volume from the 20th to the 30th of last month, including ungraded products, was only 242.63 kg. Ultimately, the reason for this year’s ultra-high pine mushroom prices is the significant decrease in production volume.

Meanwhile, Gangwon Yangyang County (Governor Kim Jin-ha) announced that the '2024 Yangyang Pine Mushroom and Salmon Festival,' hosted by the Yangyang Cultural Foundation (Chairman Kim Jin-ha), will be held for four days from the 3rd to the 6th at the Namdaecheon Riverside in Yangyang-eup. Due to this year’s poor pine mushroom crop, the festival organizers have set the festival concept as an 'ecological festival' and minimized pine mushroom-related programs. A county official stated, "The crop conditions remained poor until just before the pine mushroom festival, so programs such as pine mushroom harvesting could not be held and were replaced with ecological experience events. However, we are doing our best to secure enough quantity to ensure there are no disruptions to the pine mushroom tasting corner."