Ye Eun-ju and Park Hyo-jin, Hwasun-gun Rural Guidance Officers, Receive Audit Board Chairman's Commendation

Recognition for Contribution to the Registration of Jackdu Bean Pod as a Food Ingredient

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Young-gyun] Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Gu Chung-gon) announced on the 2nd that rural instructors Yeo Eun-joo and Park Hyo-jin of the Hwasun-gun Agricultural Technology Center received a commendation from the Board of Audit and Inspection for their contribution to the ‘registration of sword bean pods as food ingredients.’

The commendation certificate was delivered on behalf of the Board of Audit and Inspection by Gu Chung-gon, the governor of Hwasun-gun, the day before.

Yeo Eun-joo, head of the Support Planning Team at the Agricultural Technology Center, and Park Hyo-jin, head of the Capacity Development Team, have been fostering sword beans as a niche income crop since 2010, successfully commercializing them and contributing to increased farm income.

Sword beans have been cultivated as a niche income crop by Hwasun-gun since 2010, accounting for about 19.2% of the nationwide cultivation area, making it the top production region in the country.

In 2016, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s revision of the ‘Standards and Specifications for Food’ excluded sword bean pods from food ingredients, blocking sales channels and causing a sharp decline in sword bean farming, leading to a crisis.

Feeling regret over this situation, team members Yeo Eun-joo and Park Hyo-jin consulted with related organizations such as the Jeonnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services and the Rural Development Administration, and after persuading the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, achieved recognition for the limited use of sword bean pods as food ingredients 1 year and 7 months after their exclusion.

Team leader Yeo Eun-joo credited the achievement to the cooperation of colleagues, saying, “Without the support of the governor, vice governor, and fellow public officials, this result would not have been possible.”

Team leader Park Hyo-jin said, “I think approaching the work with a positive mindset led to this good outcome.”

Gu Chung-gon, governor of Hwasun-gun, stated, “The process of fostering the sword bean crop is an exemplary case of overcoming difficulties through proactive administration,” and added, “Please continue to do your best to solve on-site problems without ignoring the difficulties of rural areas.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.