Export Commemoration Loading Ceremony Held at Nokdong Port, Goheung on June 24
Achievements in Buyer Discovery and Sanitary Certificate Support
Fostering Export Strategy Items through Distribution Modernization
On June 24, Jeonnam Province announced that a loading ceremony was held at Nokdong Port in Goheung to commemorate the first direct export of Jeonnam wild oysters to China.
The ceremony was attended by Gong Youngmin, Mayor of Goheung, Park Sunjun, Jeonnam Provincial Assembly member, Shin Hyungon, Director of International Cooperation at Jeonnam Province, representatives from the export forwarding company Goldenhill, as well as about 30 fisheries workers and other participants.
The initial shipment for this export is 7 tons. The oysters will be distributed through Fujian Youyija Fisheries Co., Ltd., a seafood distribution company headquartered in Xiamen, Fujian Province, and will be supplied to restaurants in Xiamen as well as online channels such as TikTok. With this pilot export, the expansion of the wild oyster export market is expected to accelerate.
This first export of wild oysters to China was achieved through collaboration between Jeonnam Province and its China office. The China office identified new buyers for the wild oysters, visited China to conduct preliminary negotiations with importers, and subsequently secured an export contract after an on-site inspection in Goheung by Fujian Youyija Fisheries Co., Ltd. (CEO Tong Changhui).
For this export, Jeonnam Province provided support in advance for the issuance of sanitary certificates for edible live aquatic animals and certificates of origin for Deokheung Fishing Village Association, a wild oyster producer in Goheung. The province also supported overseas promotional event expenses to actively establish a foundation for exports.
Wild oysters produced off the coast of Goheung are firmer and larger than regular oysters, have less fishy odor, and offer an excellent texture, making them popular among consumers both domestically and internationally.
In particular, wild oysters can be produced year-round and consumed in all four seasons, making them less subject to seasonal limitations. Their versatility in various dishes and the ability to supply them consistently regardless of season have made them highly favored by overseas buyers as well.
Recently, demand for wild oysters has increased in premium markets such as Europe and the United States, drawing attention to wild oysters as Jeonnam’s next promising export item following seaweed.
Currently, there are 36 wild oyster producers in Jeonnam, cultivating 112 hectares, which accounts for 35.1% of the nation's total aquaculture area and 15.3% of total production. Premium wild oysters are produced using the hanging basket method in Goheung and the horizontal net method in Shinan.
Jeonnam Province plans to use the success of this export as an opportunity to further expand production, modernize processing and distribution, and foster oysters as a major export strategy item following seaweed.
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