Grand Prize in the Regional Agricultural Specialty Products Category
Melons, peanuts, and mini watermelons from Gochang County, Jeonbuk, won the Grand Prize in the Regional Agricultural Specialty Products category at the "16th 2025 Consumer-Selected Quality Satisfaction Awards" ceremony held on the 10th at the Koreana Hotel in Seoul.
Melons, peanuts, and mini watermelons from Gochang County, Jeonbuk, won the Grand Prize in the Regional Agricultural Specialty Products category at the "16th 2025 Consumer-Selected Quality Satisfaction Awards" ceremony held on the 10th at the Koreana Hotel in Seoul. Provided by Gochang County
According to the county, the "Consumer-Selected Quality Satisfaction Award" is given to the best products that earn trust and love from consumers by consistently developing quality and providing high-quality services from the consumer's perspective to achieve customer satisfaction.
Gochang melons and peanuts, grown in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, have won the award for nine consecutive years and eight consecutive years, respectively. In addition, Gochang mini watermelons have won for two consecutive years, further elevating the value of Gochang agricultural products, which are recognized for their outstanding quality. The county is promoting various soil improvement projects and conducting training based on its expertise in cultivating top-quality melons to foster melons as its premier specialty product.
Gochang has established its presence both domestically and internationally, winning the Grand Prize for Best High-Quality Agricultural Production Complex in 2022 (awarded by the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs), the Excellence Award at the 2023 Export Agriculture Best Practices Contest hosted by the Rural Development Administration, and through exports to Singapore and Hong Kong.
The county is the main peanut-producing area, with a cultivation area of 380 hectares, accounting for 75% of Jeonbuk's total peanut farmland, and the number of peanut-farming households has reached about 900 and continues to increase each year. Gochang peanuts are known for their savory taste, grown in loess soil rich in minerals and germanium, with abundant sunlight and sea breezes from the west coast. Their vivid skin color has made them a leader in the domestic peanut market.
The county selected mini watermelons as a high-income crop to succeed its long-standing reputation for watermelons, and since 2017 has implemented various pilot projects and training programs. In 2022, six crop associations in Gochang joined together to form the Gochang Mini Watermelon Association. In 2024, they won the Grand Prize for Best High-Quality Agricultural Production Complex, hosted by the Rural Development Administration. As of 2025, Gochang accounts for about 15% of the national mini watermelon cultivation area, making it the largest production area in the country.
County Governor Shim Deokseop stated, "We will continue our efforts so that Gochang melons, peanuts, and mini watermelons, which are produced with the sweat, dedication, and hard work of our farmers, can earn the trust of even more consumers. We will also strive to ensure that the county's excellent agricultural products become nationally recognized brands."
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