The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Scientists find green way to turn CO2 into fuel with sunlight

  • 3

    BLACKPINK's contract renewal still in limbo

  • 5

    Kim Jong-un's rejection of Russia's food assistance irritates North Korean defectors

  • 7

    Opposition party in turmoil as leader could be arrested on Tuesday

  • 9

    INTERVIEWVirtual K-pop group MAVE: is more than just pretty pixels

  • 11

    Foreign employees rewarded for contribution to Korea's shipbuilding industry

  • 13

    Lawmakers want to grill business tycoons over decision to rejoin FKI

  • 15

    Arrest warrant hearing for DPK leader Lee to be held Tuesday

  • 17

    Appellate court upholds 9-yr prison term for man over filming, distributing sexual videos featuring women

  • 19

    Gov't reviews changing description of Fukushima wastewater

  • 2

    N. Korea holds politburo meeting to discuss Kim-Putin summit: KCNA

  • 4

    BTS member Suga begins mandatory military service

  • 6

    Xi says he will seriously consider visit to South Korea: official

  • 8

    Family of 5 found dead in 3 separate locations

  • 10

    Korea boosts subsidies to rev up falling EV sales

  • 12

    Russia lodges protest to S.Korean envoy over Yoon's UN speech

  • 14

    Disney+ aims to expand investment in original Korean content

  • 16

    Hebrew University students travel to Korea to explore musical landscape

  • 18

    Korea hammers Thailand to clinch men's football knockout berth

  • 20

    Yoon signs off on plan to waive expressway tolls during Chuseok holiday

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
Sun, September 24, 2023 | 11:34
Thoughts of the Times
Korea's first laver farm, Taeindo
Posted : 2022-10-06 15:46
Updated : 2022-10-06 17:56
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
By Kim Jin-heon

From coastal areas spanning the Southern part of South Jeolla Province to the Western part of South Chungcheong, mudflats are well developed. Moreover, their shallow depths, fast currents and strong sunshine provide these areas with optimal growing conditions for shellfish and seaweed.

Various types of seafood available around the peninsula have led Korean food culture to have abundant and diverse dishes. Among seaweed, laver, in particular, is one of the most popular dishes for people.

In the 1960s and the 1970s, food production was much less robust than it is today because fishermen didn't have many laver farms. Most of them had to export abroad, and as a result, it was so expensive that the writer had no chance to eat it.

Fortunately, however, as family events were held over the years, my mom bought a bundle of laver at a traditional market, coated each piece with salty sesame oil, baked them over the fire, and put them on the table with different dishes. The savory and crisp taste of chewing laver with hot rice strongly stirred my appetite.

With low cholesterol and a unique flavor, laver has been loved as a diet food by people at home and abroad. It's not surprising that its farm fields have been continuously increasing. In 2021, laver was exported to 112 countries, bringing in an amount of $500 million.

In fact, people on the Korean Peninsula have eaten this food since the Three Kingdoms Period, by catching laver grown naturally at sea. In 1454, according to King Sejong's Annals, laver was considered so rare and delicious that it was served as a gift for the king or as a tribute to the Ming Dynasty.

During the Joseon Kingdom, Kim Yeo-ik (1606-1606) developed the first laver farm on the island of Taeindo, Gwangyang City, South Jeolla Province, and it was then that its production began to increase. Realizing that the area provided suitable growth conditions for seaweed, Kim made a laver field using bound chestnut branches.

As a result of his ingenuity, he was able to give the food to his king. After tasting it, the king asked what the Korean name for laver was. In those days, though laver had many different names, Kim answered that it had no name. On the spot, the king named laver "kim," after his family name. Today, the name "gim" (pronounced with a similar consonant to "kim") is most widely used in Korea.

Back in Kim Yeo-ik's day, the area around the island was filled with shallow mud, and so the laver field was well developed. Moreover, the estuaries and currents of the Seomjin River met together there, and these conditions helped many seafood and fish to grow well, soon becoming famous for high-quality laver.


Unfortunately, before Gwangyang Steel Company was built in the early 1980s, it claimed the sea in this area and it has since been used as a rear base of the company.

Gwangyang City built a museum on Taeindo to showcase Kim Yeo-ik's life and laver production tools, memorializing the history of this laver farm. It was designated monument No. 113 of South Jeolla Province in 1987.


Kim Jin-heon is a retired English teacher who published a book titled, "Flower Is Flower."



 
miguel
Top 10 Stories
1Scientists find green way to turn CO2 into fuel with sunlight Scientists find green way to turn CO2 into fuel with sunlight
2Kim Jong-un's rejection of Russia's food assistance irritates North Korean defectors Kim Jong-un's rejection of Russia's food assistance irritates North Korean defectors
3Opposition party in turmoil as leader could be arrested on Tuesday Opposition party in turmoil as leader could be arrested on Tuesday
4Korea boosts subsidies to rev up falling EV sales Korea boosts subsidies to rev up falling EV sales
5Foreign employees rewarded for contribution to Korea's shipbuilding industry Foreign employees rewarded for contribution to Korea's shipbuilding industry
6Russia lodges protest to S.Korean envoy over Yoon's UN speech Russia lodges protest to S.Korean envoy over Yoon's UN speech
7Lawmakers want to grill business tycoons over decision to rejoin FKI Lawmakers want to grill business tycoons over decision to rejoin FKI
8Gov't reviews changing description of Fukushima wastewater Gov't reviews changing description of Fukushima wastewater
9'Songpyeon' for low-income families 'Songpyeon' for low-income families
10Big insurers up for sale, but financial conglomerates appear disinterestedBig insurers up for sale, but financial conglomerates appear disinterested
Top 5 Entertainment News
1BLACKPINK's contract renewal still in limbo BLACKPINK's contract renewal still in limbo
2[INTERVIEW] Virtual K-pop group MAVE: is more than just pretty pixels INTERVIEWVirtual K-pop group MAVE: is more than just pretty pixels
3Hebrew University students travel to Korea to explore musical landscape Hebrew University students travel to Korea to explore musical landscape
4[INTERVIEW] Seoul's increased art market momentum brings Sotheby's back to KoreaINTERVIEWSeoul's increased art market momentum brings Sotheby's back to Korea
5[INTERVIEW] 'Cobweb' director questions meaning of cinema INTERVIEW'Cobweb' director questions meaning of cinema
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group