The tumultuous history of a tiny, healthy root

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The tumultuous history of a tiny, healthy root

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The genesis of Cheong-Kwan-Jang as a distinctive brand name goes back to the early 1940s. Because of increased export demand for Korean red ginseng at the end of the Japanese colonial period, both private producers and peddlers of fake root were prospering.

Seeking a way to distinguish real ginseng from fake, the Monopoly Bureau of the Japanese General Government began using the label “Cheong-Kwan-Jang,” which translates as “officially government approved.”

The Cheong-Kwan-Jang brand showed up in an advertisement in the Sing Tao Daily, a Hong Kong newspaper, in 1959. Soon it acquired a reputation, and importers of Hong Kong and Singapore began in 1963 to ask for Cheong-Kwan-Jang Korean ginseng by name. In 1972, the label was attached to ginseng exported to Japan, and starting in 1995 it was included on every ginseng product made by the former state-run KT&G. The label includes a Taeguk mark as seen on the Korean flag to indicate it’s a Korean specialty and six stars for the six years of cultivation required to raise ginseng.

The sale of Cheong-Kwan-Jang was a government monopoly from 1899 until 1996. Since then, the brand has never given up its position at the top of the market, even though the name has changed hands over the years, from the Monopoly Bureau to Korea Tobacco & Ginseng Corporation and finally to KT&G subsidiary Korea Ginseng Corp.

When former Chinese President Jiang Zemin visited South Korea in November 1995, he was given so-called “heaven grade” ginseng root as a Korean specialty. Cheong-Kwan-Jang won third prize in terms of brand awareness in China when the Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency conducted a survey on recognition of Korean food abroad in 2003.

In the old days, producing red ginseng involved washing six-year-old roots, then steaming them in gamasot, traditional iron pots and drying them. It was not until 1978 when automation enabled 6,000 tons of fresh ginseng roots to be produced per year. The most important part of the process is the temperature and duration of the steaming. Only a few employees at KGC know the formula, but it is known that the company steams the roots until they are 14 percent water.

Cheong-Kwan-Jang uses only six-year-old ginseng root. Once the roots are planted, they absorb many of the nutrients in the soil, depleting it. But a great deal of fertilizer also cannot be used. This means that the ideal land for growing ginseng root has never been used for it before, or has been allowed to rest for about 10 years. Staff at KGC inspect soil across the nation, searching for the land able to produce the best ginseng. Their most recent discoveries include Baegryeong Island and the Civilian Control Zone around the DMZ.

This storied red ginseng comes in an extensive lineup of more than 200 products. Derivatives come in all forms as well, including pure extracts, tonics, pills and more, exported to 60 countries worldwide. Their popularity hasn’t wavered here either, recording sales of 740 billion won ($623 million) last year. One major contributor to red ginseng’s continued popularity is the recent “well-being” health trend.


By Choi Ji-young [ebusiness@joongang.co.kr]
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