Livelihood

• Close to the livelihood of residents through winter agriculture
  • Dried persimmons are a part of winter agriculture in Sangju. When it is time to finish rice farming while harvesting rice, persimmons are harvested during the day and peeled at night. The peeled persimmons are dried for two months in winter to make dried persimmons. Dried persimmon agriculture provided winter food along with rice farming and became an more important in winter as the income from dried persimmons gradually increased.
• Positioned as an important cash crop
  • Sangju's persimmon and dried persimmon agriculture is establishing itself as an important industry, as can be seen from its share in Sangju's total agricultural production and agricultural income. In addition, the city is seeking to develop the tourist industry by attracting tourists and develop into the 6th industry through various products such as dried persimmon wine and soy sauce.

Agricultural biodiversity

• Maintaining biodiversity through dried persimmon farming
  • The persimmon cultivation area functions as an ecotone distributed between the forests and the farmland. An ecotone is a transition zone of vegetation that appears between two different plant communities, such as the boundary between forest and grassland. It has some characteristics of each surrounding colony, and novel species are found where the two colonies are combined. Ecotone are used as a place for courtship, nesting, and feeding for some animals. Persimmon cultivation areas are related to bird habitats as the custom of leaving some persimmons behind for magpies creates a space for feeding. In addition, through mixed cropping of perilla seeds around the persimmon trees planted in the rice paddies for the prevention of diseases and pests, they provide an environment where rice and persimmon trees, insects, amphibians and reptiles, and birds can all live.
• Preservation of Sangjudoongsi, a native species of Korea
  • As the main production site of Sangjudoongsi, a native species of Korea, the Sangju Persimmon Test Center plays a role in conservation, and performs ongoing research for the preservation of Sangjudoongsi, such as a study on the flexibility of genetic diversity among varieties and the development of simple kits for identifying persimmon varieties.

Unique agricultural technology

• Knowledge system of raw persimmon production and dried persimmon manufacturing
  • It can be seen through documents from the Joseon Dynasty that dried persimmon agriculture in the Sangju has been going on for a long time, and even now, it is still being passed down from generation to generation.
    High-quality raw persimmons are produced for dried persimmon agriculture, and manufactures dry the raw persimmons using traditional methods.

Traditional agriculture culture

• Dried persimmon agriculture that has been connected with traditional cultural rituals
  • Cultural rituals have an inseparable relationship with persimmons, and dried persimmons have been used when raw persimmons were not available. Jujube, chestnut, and persimmon, the ‘three-colored fruits,’ have a long history as the basic elements of ritual food.
• Food culture using persimmons
  • Dried persimmon yakbab made with dried persimmons was always served as a snacks and at banquets in winter, and persimmon top tea, where the tops of dried persimmons are boiled in water, was used to treat stomachaches and diarrhea in the days when there were no medicines. Persimmons were close to the life of residents, and used as a food for meals, a snack full of nutrients, and a medicine.

Special view

• Dried persimmon farming landscape harmonized with the village
  • When recalling the scenery your hometown, the rural landscape of persimmon trees full of bright red persimmons and picking persimmons with a pole is not so old, but it has gradually become difficult to find such scenery.
    However, the Sangju area preserves the hometown scenery of persimmon trees full of persimmons and persimmon harvesting better than any other area.
    When the persimmons are ripe, they are harvested, and the peeled persimmons are tied with threads and hung on a drying rack for 30 to 70 days to dry naturally. These days, persimmons are peeled with a peeler and dried by hanging on persimmon skeins. However, persimmons sill hang on drying racks in each house, showing the people's hard work and sincerity, and this tradition has been passed down as a beautiful part of the cultural landscape.

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  Sangju Traditional Dried Persimmon Agricultural System