Gyeongbuk Province, Did You Know? 'Haenyeo Seaweed Beer' ... Launching Korea's First Region-Specific Craft Beer Development

Yeongdeok Lohas Seafood Support Center and Daekyung Brewery Business Agreement

Promoting Seaweed-Based Business... Revitalizing Haenyeo and Youth Startups

Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Office.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Gwiyeol] On the 30th, Gyeongbuk Province held a signing ceremony for a “Mutual Cooperation Agreement (MOU) for the Development and Industrialization of the Nation’s First Haenyeo Seaweed Beer” with the East Sea Rim Regional Headquarters, Yeongdeok Lohas Fisheries Food Support Center, and Daegyeong Beer in the conference room of the East Sea Rim Regional Headquarters.

Attending the signing ceremony were Kim Nam-il, Head of the East Sea Rim Regional Headquarters of Gyeongbuk Province; Kim Myung-wook, Director of Yeongdeok Lohas Fisheries Food Support Center; and Moon Jun-gi, CEO of Daegyeong Beer.

Through this agreement, the Yeongdeok Lohas Fisheries Food Support Center plans to complete the recipe development of “Haenyeo Seaweed Beer,” utilizing extracts from seaweed harvested by haenyeos in the clean East Sea.

Additionally, they plan to collaborate with Daegyeong Beer, which possesses outstanding technology in the craft beer development field, to conduct research aimed at enhancing taste and aroma according to consumer preferences and trends.

The province intends to use symbols representing five coastal cities and counties?Pohang Homigot Peninsula, Gyeongju Munmu the Great, Yeongdeok Snow Crab, Uljin Wangdolcho, and Ulleungdo Dokdo?in brand development and register trademarks.

They also plan to establish marketing strategies that create images such as “Drink the Sea! Feel the Haenyeo!”

By participating in local beer festivals and holding tasting events, they aim to widely promote “Haenyeo Seaweed Beer” and conduct surveys.

To support startups by youth and haenyeos, they will operate expert training programs on craft beer manufacturing and management, linking these with youth residence projects to attract local youth and discover leading models for mutual development with the region.

Seaweed is rich in calcium, iron, and iodine, making it well known not only for pregnant women’s health but also as a representative food for postpartum care.

Recently, due to its low calories and high fiber content, it has been widely used as a health food for dieting and more.

There are about 1,370 haenyeos in Gyeongbuk, and the seaweed they harvest accounts for 53% of the nation’s natural seaweed production.

Also, the domestic craft beer market size has expanded by an average of 40% annually since 2015, increasing approximately 5.4 times from 21.8 billion KRW in 2015 to 118 billion KRW in 2020.

The establishment of the 52-hour workweek, reduction in company dinners, and increase in remote work have led to growth in home consumption channels alongside a decline in traditional beer consumption channels, resulting in increased demand for various types of beer.

Consequently, success cases of craft beers brewed using domestic agricultural products are also increasing.

Kim Nam-il, Head of the East Sea Rim Regional Headquarters of Gyeongbuk Province, said, “Just as soju enthusiasts always look for ‘Hallasan Soju’ when they visit Jeju Island, we will do our best to make ‘Haenyeo Seaweed Beer’ a sought-after product on the Gyeongbuk East Coast.” He added, “Marine bio technology using seaweed is evolving in a wide range of fields such as healing products like topical cosmetics, cultured artificial meat, and medical health products utilizing fucoidan components. We will expand various seaweed-based businesses in the future.”

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