"Leading the Domestic Premium Potato Market" Korea Agriculture Launches New Variety 'Golden King'

Korean Agriculture Signs Technology Transfer and Exclusive License Agreement for 'Golden King' with Kangwon National University... Secures Exclusive Business Rights
Establishes One-Stop System for Seed Management, Production, Storage, and Distribution... Expands Online and Offline Sales Channels

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Agricultural corporation Korea Agriculture is set to fully launch its premium native potato brand business. The plan is to develop the newly bred variety 'Golden King,' created by domestic researchers, into a luxury potato brand and lead the premium potato market in Korea.

Korea Agriculture announced on the 18th that it has signed a technology transfer and exclusive license agreement for the new potato variety Golden King with the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation of Kangwon National University.

Through this agreement, Korea Agriculture has obtained exclusive domestic business rights for 20 years until 2041, covering the entire production and distribution process, including raw material production and quality control technology of Golden King developed by Professor Youngseok Lim of Kangwon National University's College of Biomedical Science, as well as processed product development and sales.

Korea Agriculture plans to establish a one-stop system covering seed management, production, storage, and distribution to expand the Golden King potato market efficiently and modernly, presenting a model where farmers and companies can coexist. The company was founded based on the management philosophy of CEO Hwaeung Kim, former CEO of Hyundai Livart, who believes that modern technology and know-how are essential for innovation in the agricultural sector. Currently, Korea Agriculture operates its own cold storage and logistics center covering 13,800㎡ (approximately 4,200 pyeong) in Yesan County, Chungnam Province.

The Golden King potato, developed by potato breeder Professor Youngseok Lim, is a native Korean potato characterized by its maximized softness and rich flavor. Golden King contains chlorogenic acid and syringic acid, which have excellent antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory effects, at levels 2.5 times and 180 times higher than regular potatoes, respectively. It also has 2.6 times higher calcium content. Additionally, the content of syringic acid, effective for collagen production, skin cancer and diabetes prevention, and fat accumulation inhibition, is 180 times higher.

Notably, since Golden King is a domestically developed variety, there is no need to pay royalties for overseas seeds, making it advantageous in terms of production costs. It also boasts excellent adaptability to climate and environmental changes, strong virus resistance, and can be cultivated both in open fields and greenhouses, enabling year-round production.

CEO Hwaeung Kim of Korea Agriculture stated, “Future agriculture can gain a comparative advantage in competition by focusing on efficiency through an organized and systematized approach to create economies of scale. Golden King’s ability to be cultivated year-round and its reduced production costs will greatly help increase farmers’ incomes.”

Korea Agriculture plans to begin Golden King production nationwide in regions including Gyeongnam, Jeonbuk, Gangwon, and Chungnam, and aims to secure sales channels in earnest. Given the rapid changes in the distribution market, diversifying sales channels is crucial, and the company intends to establish a solid distribution network both online and offline. Following a pilot sale on Market Kurly in June, sales are scheduled to start this month at Homeplus and Coupang, and next month at Lotte Mart. Based on this, production volume is planned to increase to 10,000 tons next year.

Furthermore, Korea Agriculture will expand the 'Golden King' brand by applying its use to various processed foods such as French fries, potato wedges, tornado potatoes, and potato chips. CEO Kim said, “We will also provide generous support for the development of new varieties such as ‘Red King’ and ‘Snow King,’ considering consumer preferences, to firmly establish our position as a representative native luxury potato brand in Korea.”

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