'The world needs to know the greatness of Korean red ginseng'

President of Baekjehongsam Cho Sung-jung, right, and My Pay President Oh Se-yong pose after signing an MOU to increase cooperation between the two firms at Cho's office in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul, in February. / Courtesy of Baekjehongsam

By Kim Jae-heun

It was not long ago when Cho Sung-jung, president of Baekjehongsam, decided to open his red ginseng business. Prior to starting his business, Cho was just a typical businessman at a trading company who didn't think twice about starting his own business, until learning about the mass health benefits of Korean red ginseng.

“It's been almost nine years since I started this business. It all started when I purchased red ginseng from my daughter. The product made me curious about the herbal remedies that could be received from red ginseng, so I read a book about it,” Cho said during an interview with The Korea Times, Thursday.

“There are different types of red ginseng out there in the world but Korean ginseng is the best. American ginseng is popular in Hong Kong but it is incomparable to Korean ginseng.” Cho said.

Korean ginseng in particularly contains a large amount of minerals, nearly equivalent to the amount found in wild ginseng, he said.

Red ginseng is good for blood circulation, which Cho believes is the basis for maintaining good health. The herb also improves immunity which helps protect people from the common cold.

Once he learned about the greatness of red ginseng, Cho wanted the whole world to know, which led him to start his own company.

Cho launched a brand called “Samdaein,” translated as “man of ginseng,” and he exports his products currently to the United States, China and Vietnam. He is also preparing to establish a joint venture in Indonesia, which is pending the local government's approval.

“Evaluation for the import of red ginseng is taking time due to the coronavirus outbreak. When the situation eases, Korean red ginseng will be available to around 300 million customers there,” Cho said.

Cho believes his company's most notable advantage over other Korean red ginseng firms lies in his leadership and his will to actively engage in overseas business.

“We also use only the top-quality red ginseng and do not mix with low-quality ones. I've seen competing brands mixing various materials to produce their products. Our products are made by red ginseng produced only on organic farms,” Cho said.

Recently, Samdaein introduced a new product line called “Fox & Wolf” to better target young customers.

Red ginseng is well-regarded as a healthy functional food for parents and older people but not as much in younger generations.

“Fox & Wolf has two different red ginseng products ― one is for women and the other for men. We've added pomegranate for women and maca for men. They are good for each gender in their own ways,” Cho said.