The Korean plum is the fruit of the plum tree. An average annual temperature of 12-15 degrees Celsius is the optimum temperature for plum cultivation. Flowering begins in late February to early March, when the average temperature is around 7-8 degrees Celsius, and the flowers bloom in mid-March. The fruit ripens from late May to mid-June and weighs 12- 15 grams, similar in size to an apricot, but can vary from 16-35 grams depending on the variety. There are more than 80 varieties of plum grown in the southern regions such as South Gyeongsang Province and Jeolla Province. Major producers include Gwangyang City, Suncheon City and Hadong County. Last year, Gwangyang City produced 7,294 tons, Suncheon City 4,600 tons and Hadong County 2,205 tons. In 2020,
these three major cities accounted for 38% of the nation's production.

Plum is widely known for its medicinal properties that eliminate toxicity. It helps to relieve thirst and
diarrhea and restores vitality to the muscles and heart. It's also effective in reducing fatigue, anti-aging,
and relieving constipation and hematuria. One of its main components is picric acid, which breaks down
toxic substances in blood, water and food. It is rich in organic acids such as catechin, which has a powerful
detoxifying and sterilizing effect and inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria in the body, and citric
and malic acids, which are excellent for fatigue relief. Plums are also rich in polyphenols, which boost
the immune system, and contain 2.3 times more calcium, 1.3 times more phosphorus, 2.4 times more
potassium, 1.5 times more vitamin C and 6.5 times more vitamin A than apples.

Gwangyang City is the best place to grow plums in Korea because it lies near Mt. Baekun and the Seomjin
River, and enjoys favorable winds and abundant sunlight. Gwangyang City accounts for 23% of the
nation's plum production and 27% of the nation's cultivated area. In 1931, collective plum cultivation for
industrialization began in Daap-myeon, Gwangyang City. The mass cultivation of plums in the city began
in Daap-myeon in 1931. After receiving the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) registration mark in
2007, Daap-myeon was designated as a special plum industrial zone in 2008.

The first and largest plum company in Gwangyang, Gwangyang Cheong Maesil Farm, started in the
plum business in 1965 and recorded sales of 5.14 billion won in 2021 and 5.2 billion won in 2022. It
is the largest plum farm in Korea. Their cumulative value of overseas exports, which began in 2003
with about 48,600 kg worth USD400,000, reached USD5 million last year. The Gwangyang Plum Festival in
Daap-myeon Plum Village takes place in March and attracts more than one million people every year.
This festival was also started by Gwangyang Cheong Maesil Farm in 1997.

POCOTERRA, the leading plum processing company in Suncheon City, exported plum jelly to
China and Japan in 2019. The company expanded its export products and export destinations to the US,
Thailand, Canada and Australia with 'Plum King Seed Korean Pancake' and 'Pure Plum Extract'.
Another processing company, Bohae Brewery, is a leading traditional fruit liquor producer that
launched its first plum wine, 'Maechwisoon', in 1982. Maechwisoon is a plum wine made from aged plum
juice and was served as the official drink at the 2009 ASEAN-Korea Special Summit in Jeju. In 1979, Bohae
Brewery established a plum orchard in Haenam-gun, covering 140,000 square meters and planting 14,000
plum trees. They now harvest around 500 tons of green plums every year.

In July, 95 tons of Suncheon plums were exported to Stragen Pharma SA, a Swiss pharmaceutical
company, as a health supplement to improve liver function. In March, Coffee Bean Korea launched
Sparkling Gwangyang Golden Plum Blossom Tea with golden plums from Gwangyang City.

In 2019, Chamdeurae Biofood, an agricultural cooperative in Sancheong County, South Gyeongsang
Province, launched sugar-free plum products 'Jiri Mountain Plum Extract' and 'Sugar-free Pure Plum
Concentrate'. Jiri Mountain Plum Extract is a 21g stick-type product made from 90% local plums and
sweetened with 10% jocheong, traditional Korean brown rice syrup. Sugar-free Pure Plum Concentrate
is a 100% plum juice product in 500ml and 1,000ml bottles. It is made from  plums only, with no other

ingredients, so the product retains its unique sour flavor. The product has been well received by
consumers who want to enjoy a healthy plum flavor without added sugar. SLOWFOOD Co, Ltd, located in
Hadong County, neighboring Sancheong County, buys about 200 tons of plums from the region every
year and processes them into plums or plum juice, which are exported not only to Korea but also to the
U.S., Australia and Southeast Asia. 

The range of products made from Korean plums, including concentrate, pickled plums, doenjang
(soybean paste), gochujang (red chili paste), ice cream and cookies, chocolate, jelly, tea and health functional
foods, is becoming increasingly diverse. Even within the same product, changes are being made to include
healthier ingredients, such as the replacement of sugar with corn syrup and oligosaccharides, or the
use of only 100% Korean plums in the production of the product. Plum exports were mainly to the
United States in the past, but have now expanded to Japan, China, Australia, Switzerland, Southeast Asia
and Europe. As the market for processed products expands and diversifies, the Korean plum industry
is also developing in new ways. With thousands of years of history and tradition, plums are constantly
evolving to be combined with various foods.