Sancheong Gojongsi Selected as Korea's Representative Fruit for 9 Consecutive Years

Ministerial Award and Others Best ... Chestnuts Receive Korea Forest Service Commissioner Award

The senior dried persimmon of Jirisan Sancheong, ‘Sancheong Gojongsi (astringent persimmon)’, has been selected as Korea's representative fruit for the ninth consecutive year.

On the 21st, Sancheong-gun, Gyeongnam announced that the Gojongsi submitted by Choi Woo-young (Samjang-myeon) won the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Award (Grand Prize) at the ‘2024 Korea Representative Fruit Selection Contest’ held at the aT Center in Seoul.

Additionally, Gojongsi by Kang Sang-hoon (Sicheon-myeon) and chestnuts by Jang Dong-ik (Sinan-myeon) each received the Korea Forest Service Director Award.

Photo of the harvest of Sancheong Gojongsi (dried persimmon).

With this, Sancheong Gojongsi has been selected as a representative fruit for nine consecutive years, proving that Sancheong’s forest products are of the highest quality nationwide.

Sancheong-gun is strengthening the capabilities of forestry workers by providing production technology education for dried persimmons, including premium dried persimmon processing techniques, astringent persimmon cultivation, and marketing methods, targeting dried persimmon producing farms and returning farmers and residents. They also offer cultivation technology education for forest products such as chestnut trees, aralia, and hornbeam.

In particular, various subsidy projects are supported to produce high-quality forest products, including organic fertilizers and soil conditioners for clean forest product production, production and processing equipment, and storage and drying facilities.

Choi Dae-sik, head of the Sancheong-gun Forest and Greenery Division, said, “This award once again proves that Sancheong Gojongsi is Korea’s top senior dried persimmon.”

Meanwhile, the Korea Representative Fruit Selection Contest is hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to expand the consumption base of domestic fruits, and is organized by the Rural Development Administration and the Korea Forest Service (National Institute of Forest Science).

The contest evaluates 13 types of fruits, including 9 general fruit categories and 4 forest and water categories (astringent persimmon, chestnut, jujube, walnut), selecting fruits of excellent quality.

The judging is conducted by a panel of experts from institutions such as the National Institute of Forest Science to ensure fairness, expertise, and objectivity, through fruit orchard evaluation, measurement assessment, and appearance inspection.