Kim Daehyun Wins Grand Prize for Yanggu Apples at Korea Representative Fruit Selection Contest

Lim Sungjae and Kim Cheolho Receive Excellence Award
Winners to Benefit from Exhibition at the Fruit Industry Expo
and Marketing Support

At the 2025 Korea Representative Fruit Selection Contest, Kim Daehyun from Yanggu County won the Grand Prize, while Lim Sungjae and Kim Cheolho received the Excellence Award, once again proving the quality of apples produced in Yanggu.

A view of Yanggu County Office.

The Korea Representative Fruit Selection Contest is held annually to select outstanding fruits of various types and varieties, promote the consumption of domestically produced fruits, and establish a production and consumption base that can compete with imported fruits. The contest is hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and organized by the Korea Fruit Growers Agricultural Cooperative Federation and the Korea Forest Service.

The award-winning farms from Yanggu County received high marks for their continuous technological improvements and quality control.

This year's Grand Prize winner, Kim Daehyun, is an eighth-year farmer who cultivates Shinano Gold, Fuji, Hongro, and Arisu apples on 27,353 square meters in Haean-myeon. He has now achieved the distinction of winning awards for three consecutive years, having received the Excellence Award in 2023 and the Encouragement Award in 2024.

Lim Sungjae, who received the Excellence Award, is a ninth-year farmer cultivating mainly Fuji, Hongro, and Shinano Gold apples on 29,847 square meters in Haean-myeon. He also won the Excellence Award in 2021 and 2024.

Additionally, Kim Cheolho, who also received the Excellence Award, is a ninth-year farmer cultivating apples on 26,162 square meters in Haean-myeon. He has an impressive track record, having won the Grand Prize in 2021 and the Encouragement Award in 2023, further demonstrating the stable quality and technical expertise of Yanggu apples.

Notably, in the apple category of this year's 2025 Korea Representative Fruit Selection Contest, Yanggu County was the only winner from the Gangwon region for the second consecutive year, further enhancing the reputation of Yanggu apples.

The awards ceremony will take place at the opening ceremony of the '2025 Korea Fruit Industry Expo' on the 27th at the Daejeon Convention Center (DCC). Kim Daehyun will receive the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Award, while Lim Sungjae and Kim Cheolho will receive the Administrator of Rural Development Administration Award.

In addition, winners of the Representative Fruit Selection Contest will benefit from marketing support, including the exhibition of their fruits at the Representative Fruit Pavilion during the Fruit Industry Expo, announcement of their achievements both online and offline through the websites of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Fruit Growers Agricultural Cooperative Federation, as well as promotional and sales support through fruit consumption promotion campaigns.

Kim Sanghoon, Director of the Agricultural Technology Center, stated, "It is very meaningful that Yanggu apples have once again been recognized for their excellence at the Korea Representative Fruit Selection Contest. The efforts of our farmers, who have worked tirelessly to improve quality, have borne fruit. We will continue to provide technical support and maintain quality control so that Yanggu apples can firmly establish their competitiveness nationwide."

Currently, about 310 farms in Yanggu County produce 6,500 tons of apples annually on 430 hectares, with this year's income expected to reach approximately 30 billion won. The main apple varieties produced in Yanggu are Fuji (55%), Hongro (23%), Shinano Gold (10%), and other varieties (12%).