A 'simmani,' forager and naturalist

Simmani (forager) Lee Kyoung-suk, 66, rests on a rock on Mount Beophwa in Jangsu, North Jeolla Province, April 29, where she unearthed an array of wild mountain vegetables and herbs. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

JANGSU, North Jeolla Province — Mount Beophwa is considered among the smaller mountains here in this remote but lush town, rising slightly over 700 meters above sea level. Lee Kyoung-suk, 66, came here to forage for mountain herbs and vegetables in the last week of April. The veteran "simmani," or forager, wore her rainboots to fend off the snakes, her apron, and a backpack to carry the wild veggies and herbs she gathers. Deftly, she climbed over fallen tree trunks and hanging branches, her legs and arms moving in a long arc-like silhouette. Whenever she saw a target, she bent 90 degrees, swiftly plucking it.

"Ah there, there is 'chwinamul' (aster scaber). Here, look, there is 'gosari' (bracken fiddlehead)," she said. When she changes direction and enters a deeper, thicker section of the mountain, she finds 'dureup,' or Aralia sprouts from a Korean angelica tree.

Lee Kyoung-suk climbs over a fallen tree on Mount Beophwa in Jangsu, North Jeolla Province, April 29. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

These seasonal wild herbs, which have a fresh and nutty taste, are in full bloom during late April and May, making them busy months for Lee.

About four hours' drive from the highly wired and connected Seoul, the people in Jangsu engage in this wild picking practice where their hands and feet are the tools of their labor. In the past it was done out of necessity, but now it is a source of income and a lifestyle envied by urbanites who attend "simmani classes."

Back on Mount Beophwa, Lee was looking for "deodeok" (lance asiabell), an edible, herbal root plant known to be good for the lungs. Lee took extra care when extracting a deodeok root. The fresh, bitter flavor started seeping out as she dug into the earth with both hands to uncover the root.

"Oh I think this one would be about 10 years old," she said, showing the deodeok root where white saponin, effective as an antioxidant fighting inflammation, was forming. Saponin is most potent in ginseng, an herbal plant foragers pray to find. Around the same spot, she dug up several more deodeok, each measuring about 7 centimeters.

"It's good we found them here," she said, holding up the array of wild herbs as she posed for the reporting team. The pure joy she gave off after so much hard work felt contagious. "Good luck to the reporting team."

Lee Kyoung-suk holds up a well-aged "deodeok" (lance asiabell) root on Mount Beophwa, North Jeolla Province, April 29. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

While Mount Beophwa's thick vegetation did not deter Lee, this reporter was taken aback by its jagged steepness. "The mountains here are called 'aksan,' known for their difficulty," said Lee's friend, Im Jeong-im. The trees also brandished an amazing amount of thorns, poking the hands, then the knees, then the back and everywhere else. Occasionally a branch or two would snap back in someone's face if anyone lost attention while walking. A snake slid by, thankfully unknown to the reporting team, only visible under Lee's watchful eyes. At a certain point while Lee reaped her herbs, the only thing on this reporter's mind was not to lose sight of her so as to not get left behind on the mountain.

Jangsu, with several mountains standing 1,000 meters or taller, soil replete with germanium and cool temperatures, is known to be fertile grounds for ginseng. The immunity-strengthening effects of ginseng, or rather its saponins and polysaccharides, is renowned in Asia. Jangsu and Mount Mohu near Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, were known as ginseng habitats even during the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty. The remnants of those habitats can still be found here.

Mountain foraging was usually the terrain of men. In the past, people believed that the gods designated a forager for precious ginseng, and that women were impure. Knowledge of foraging sites was not readily shared. As traditional simmani aged, women workers who first foraged for wild mountain herbs have joined in, as well as husband-and-wife teams.

Asked if she prays before foraging, Lee said, "No. I just pray in my mind. If I had a religious thought, it would be close to Buddhism."

There are still fierce traditionalists who will pay respects to the mountain gods as they forage. There are some 10,000 simmani traversing the country, looking for wild ginseng.

To date, Lee has unearthed more than 100 ginseng. Panax ginseng is fully grown at age 50 years and found on mountains at altitudes of at least 1,000 meters. Because of ginseng's rarity and effects, there are myths connected with it. Commercially, one root with the right conditions can be priced higher than 100 million won ($69,025).

Lee Kyoung-suk shows a ginseng plant found on the lower part of a mountain in Jangsu, North Jeolla Province, April 29. "Under the trees where the birds could be heard singing, on hilly peaks situated in a northeast direction with cooler temperatures, is where ginseng can be found," she said. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

The ones she found this day were "jijongsam," or ginseng that was eaten by animals whose excrement pushed the seeds into new soil, enabling ginseng to grow naturally for up to 30 years.

The fact that Lee does not own a plot of land means she has to traverse the mountains.

When picking plants, she makes sure to forage in unclaimed land, and she makes sure to get permission when entering someone's property. Now that her legs are not as hardy as they used to be, she does not trek as deep into the mountains.

In Jangsu, most of the women work actively despite the lack of job opportunities relative to other towns. Lee started foraging for mountain vegetables when she accidentally found a ginseng root in 1997.

Does she have a knack for spotting ginseng, as the traditional simmani believed?

"I don't know. I get up early and I work diligently. It's the early bird that catches the worm," she said. "Even as I pick one plant from the soil, my eyes are on the next one."

Lee Kyoung-suk's hand handling "chwinamul" (aster scaber) on Mount Beophwa in Jangsu, North Jeolla Province, April 29. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Within a few years, Lee was trekking higher mountains with peaks well above 1,000 meters, walking five to six hours a day with her brother. Then, she found a large deodeok that fetched her 400,000 won, and several ginseng roots worth a few million won. Just last year, she found a 12-gram wild ginseng that was estimated to be 30 years or older, but because an animal had eaten off the roots, she sold it for 1 million won. Otherwise, she would not comment much about the amount of money she earns from foraging.

Some "usan namul" (palmate umbrella plant) Lee found on Mount Beophwa in Jangsu, North Jeolla Province, April 29. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

"Dureup" (Aralia shoots) found on Mount Beophwa in Jangsu, North Jeolla Province, April 29 / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Lee kept foraging for herbs and ginseng to help provide for her family. "I've lived through many hardships," she said. At the turn of the 21st century, she and her husband co-supported an acquaintance's loan, which they are still paying off.

Lee learned by trial and error, with sharp eyesight and quick hands as her tools. As she gained experience, people started helping. One was Jung Hyeong-beom, a senior simmani and chief of the Korea Traditional Simmani Association, who taught her how to search for ginseng by looking under trees situated facing northeast, where birds sing. He is one of three simmani designated by the Supreme Court to assess the commercial value of ginseng in Korea.

The simmani profession does not have any kind of certification. Since 2010, the Korea Forest Service has issued forest guard certificates that allow them to forage, but also obliges them to fulfill other duties such as reporting sightings of trees measuring 2 meters in width, or war remains in the case of those in Gangwon Province, Jung said.

After more than two decades, Lee focuses on sharing and enjoying her work. "Lots of people helped me along the way, and now I don't do it so much for the money but that I may be able to share with friends and family," she said.

"Walking on a mountain and seeing the wild plants, I feel myself breathe. I stare and stare at them and I am happy."

What does she feel there that makes her so happy? Hope? She just smiles in response. Or like Voltaire's Candide, were the wild herbs like flowers in a garden? And did cultivating a garden make the most sense after life's ordeals? Again, she just smiled.

Seasonal herbs harvested the day before in a low-lying area are turned into side dishes for a meal in Jangsu, North Jeolla Province, April 28. Korea Times photo by Kim Ji-soo

Lower on the mountain, dureup, "myeongi namul" (Alpine leeks) and "minari" (water parsley) are available for picking.

These vegetables are usually braised and then mixed with either "doenjang" (fermented soybean paste) or "gochujang" (red pepper paste), a bit of salt, wild sesame oil and sesame seeds. Turned into side dishes known as "namul banchan," the greens are fresher and hardier than those grown commercially on farms. When asked for the exact ratios of ingredients, she advised that one continues to experiment until it tastes good.

A sighting of "eongeongkwi" (Korean thistle) on Mount Beophwa / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Lee Kyoung-suk holds up the "gosari" (bracken fiddlehead) she picked on Mount Beophwa in Jangsu, North Jeolla Province, April 29. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

"For soybean soup, you can put in vegetables like gosari, 'eongeongkwi' (Korean thistle) and chwinamul. Put them in boiling water and add soybean paste. That was my mom's recipe," Lee said.

Simmani (forager) Lee Kyoung-suk walks along a flat part of Mount Beophwa in Jangsu, North Jeolla Province, April 29. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul