Ganggyeong was one of the three largest markets in the country along with Pyongyang and Daegu in the late Joseon Dynasty, and was a port that enjoyed the greatest prosperity in the 1930s. Although Ganggyeong is located deep inland, it is geographically close to the Geumgang River estuary, making it a key point for sea and land transportation and a distribution center for West Sea seafood. This led to the development of salting and fish processing methods to preserve fish collected from each region for a long time, and the tradition of salted seafood has continued to this day. Eun Hee-chang is CEO of Nonsan Sweet Potato Co and president of My Hometown Agricultrual Cooperative. For three generations, Eun has been making salted, seasoned, and liquid seafood together, the only family business in Korea that supplies fresh seafood to consumers nationwide.

Ganggyeong Jeotgal, the original Korean salted seafood with a 200-year tradition

Salted seafood is a fish or shellfish that can be stored for a long time and develops a distinctive flavor and aroma when marinated in a mixture of about 20% salt with various fish, shrimp, and clams for a certain period of time. In addition, salted seafood has a distinctive flavor due to the synergistic interaction of its own autolytic enzymes and nucleic acid decomposition products produced during fermentation by microorganisms. The bones of small fish and the shells of shrimp and crustaceans, in particular, soften during aging and become a good source of calcium. My Hometown Agricultural Cooperative, a third-generation fishmonger since 1960, uses only the best ingredients and maintains the unique flavor of salted seafood with less than 4% sodium. They make more than 30 kinds of traditional salted fish such as pollock paste, shrimp paste, yellow stonefish paste, octopus paste, oyster paste, oyster paste, changnan paste, and bandangi paste, as well as tuna paste, cutlassfish paste, mackerel paste, and canary paste. All products are manufactured and processed only in HACCP facilities approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and are protected from foreign substances by X-ray machines, metal detectors, and high-frequency sealed packaging. Eun has applied for five patents for liquid pickling methods, including tuna liquid pickling method, cutlassfish liquid pickling method, shrimp-anchovy mixed liquid pickling method, flounder liquid pickling method, and fish liver sauce manufacturing method. “Ganggyeong salted seafood is a food that represents the taste of Korean fermentation, a valuable local asset, and an excellent food. We produce fresh and diverse products to provide consumers with the best taste and nutrition.” says Eun. 

Nonsan Sweet Potato Co produces eco-friendly products

“Nonsan Sweet Potato Co. uses sweet potatoes from Sangwol, Nonsan, which has the right geographical and climatic conditions for sweet potato farming. We want to promote the value of Nonsan sweet potatoes through differentiated processed foods, sales know-how, and various marketing. We also want to revitalize the local farm economy by improving the sweet potatoes purchased through contract farming with participating farmers in Sangwol-myeon into high value-added processed foods.” says Eun. This area accounts for 25% of the country’s sweet potato production and boasts the best quality in the country. The company has a production line for 46 kinds of processed products using sweet potatoes, including gochujang, doenjang, soy sauce, spreads, and rusks. The company operates a sales office, has a seminar room, and cooking facilities, and its factory facilities are HACCP certified. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin C. Vitamin C plays a role in strengthening the immune system and helping produce collagen, and its antioxidant action helps maintain healthy skin and tissues by removing harmful free radicals.

The company exports soy sauce, red pepper paste, and soybean paste to China, and spreads and latte paste to the United States. “We will develop new products such as sweet potato makgeolli and sweet potato latte to promote the excellence of Nonsan sweet potatoes in domestic and international markets.” says Eun.