Internationally Competitive in Terms of Price, Hygiene & Quality

The City of Seosan is emerging as a Mecca of Korean ginseng.

To promote Seosan's high quality ginseng to global as well as domestic consumers, the City held the 1st 2004 Seosan Ginseng International Festival on October 9 that allowed diplomats and their families to have the rare experience of personally picking fully-grown six-year-old ginseng.

A number of ambassadors and other senior diplomats from the diplomatic corps in Seoul, including Hungarian ambassador Istvan Torzsa, Tunisian ambassador Othman Jerandi and Counselor Koets Hendrik Edward Cornelis of the Netherlands Embassy were present with their spouses.

Mr. Nam Seong-Hee vice president of Woongin Food Co., Ltd. who gave a presentation entitled "The Effects of Seosan Ginseng" commented "Korean ginseng accounts for over 30% of total world production and is traded at higher prices than any other type on the world market. This is not merely due to results of marketing strategy, but to the excellence of its inherent quality and characteristics."

Some examples of the effects of Ginseng are as follows: One of them is effect on diabetes. Gluckkinase, Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, acetyl CoA carboxylase have been discovered to be active in Ginseng in addition to Ginsenoside Rb1 and Rg1, showing Ginseng strengthens high blood-sugar.

Currently, it is known that medicines for curving diabetes in general cause side effects such as low blood sugar, liver toxicity, weight increase, blood lactic acid etc. So it is very desirable to develop an excellent medicine for diabetes with Ginseng and other natural substances.

Moreover, studies show that Ginseng has effect on sexual function improvement by increasing the amount of polyamine which is related to the reproductivie ability in the prostate gland and testicles which is the reproduction organ of animals.

More than that, Ginseng is known to work against cancer although it is not used as a commercial pharmacy. Once a cancer has generated, it has already given a great damage to the body. However, Ginseng is judged to protect the body from the beginning stage of a cancer. That is, most anticancer chemicals curb the growth of cancer by working on the DNA.

Ginseng's effects work slowly through the metabolic system and its ingredients are low in concentration despite numerous effective substances. But it has been proved for ages that Ginseng very powerfully works for human body. Furthermore, from a long-term perspective, various effective substances of low concentration can be rather more beneficial in preventing disease and maintaining good health except for cases which require an immediate effect.

Moreover, it has been proved for a long time that Ginseng has no such side effects as chemical pharmacies have.

Sufficient to Attract the Interests of Diplomats

The diplomats also attended a seminar entitled "Getting the Best Out of Seosan Ginseng" with topics such as picking and pickling ginseng, presentation of the Ginseng King Award, a performance by a Korean folk art club and a sale of ginseng products.

Amb. Othman Jerandi of Tunisia said in his response made on behalf of the visiting members of the diplomatic corps that through their visit they had come to understand more about Korea and Korean ginseng. In particular they had come to know the special qualities of Seosan ginseng that flourishes under the local maritime climate and the special care rendered by the citizens of Seosan in its cultivation.

Seosan mayor Jo Kyu-Sun told visiting journalists, "What makes our region really famous is our high-quality ginseng, which is harvested only after six years of healthy growth." The mayor added that the soil and climate in Seosan are known for producing top-quality agricultural products.

He said he hoped that his meeting with the diplomats with their spouses would develop into an important relationship between them and the City that will eventually have one of the best public relations impacts that Seosan could have.

The Rare Opportunity of Picking Six-Year-Old Ginseng

Kim Yong-Seong, president of the Seosan Ginseng Cooperative Association noted through his address to the diplomats, "We are hosting this Festival to promote Goryeo ginseng from Seosan to the entire world as well as to Korea through an event where diplomats with their spouses have been invited to partake in the rare opportunity of personally picking fully-grown six-year-old ginseng."

Accordingly, the ginseng promotion festival will likely be held in Seosan every year not only to promote the local variety of ginseng but also tourism within the region. Along with the 1st International Ginseng Festival, the City of Seosan will also host the 2004 Cheonsuman International Bird Watching Fair from October 22 through November 30, 2004 in District "A" of the reclaimed land belt in the Seosan region and in the Ganwoldo-ri area. The City looks forward to representatives of the diplomatic core visiting the region once again in order to experience the mating dances performed by the migratory birds that inhabit the area.

In the meantime, the fact that Korean ginseng enjoys a substantial share of the international ginseng market is evidence that the product is internationally competitive in terms of price, hygiene and quality.

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