‘Yeongdeok Toyeom’, Gyeongbuk Province Officially Designated as Intangible Cultural Property

Yeongdeok-gun Leads Cultural Heritage Preservation and Management, Emerging as a Hub for Traditional Culture

The traditional salt-making method called ‘Yeongdeok Toyeom,’ which has been passed down along the coastal areas of Yeongdeok-gun, Gyeongbuk Province, has been officially recognized for its value as a unique traditional Korean technique and was designated as a Gyeongbuk Province intangible cultural asset on the 29th.

Salt field site in Yeom 4-ri, Byeonggok-myeon.

In 2018, the Cultural Heritage Administration recognized the salt-making method known as ‘Jeyeom’ as traditional knowledge passed down in specific regions and designated it as a national intangible cultural asset. Following this, Gyeongbuk Province officially designated the traditional salt production method of ‘Yeongdeok Toyeom,’ which involves boiling seawater, as an intangible cultural asset.

Generally, Korea’s salt industry developed mainly around sea salt production by evaporating seawater, with most methods involving boiling seawater in cauldrons.

However, during the Japanese colonial period, salt production methods largely shifted to solar salt using sunlight evaporation. Nevertheless, the East Coast region, including Yeongdeok-gun, continued producing salt until the 1950s by extracting brine with increased salinity from salt soil mixed with mud and sand, then boiling it.

Gyeongbuk Province judged that this unique salt production method in Yeongdeok-gun contains traditional knowledge and culture, and after review by the Cultural Heritage Committee, it was finally designated as a Gyeongbuk Province intangible cultural asset.

Notably, ‘Yeongdeok Toyeom’ is the first ‘community category’ intangible cultural asset designated in Gyeongbuk Province, which makes its significance special. Since 2015, starting with ‘Arirang,’ the Cultural Heritage Administration has designated community categories that do not specify individual holders or groups as national intangible cultural assets and manages their preservation. It is expected that ‘Yeongdeok Toyeom’ will play a leading role as a community category intangible cultural asset in Gyeongbuk Province.

County Governor Kim Gwang-yeol said, “I am very pleased that ‘Yeongdeok Toyeom,’ which is deeply connected to the region’s history, culture, and residents’ lives, has been recognized for its cultural value. We will continue to strive to discover and improve the preservation and management of tangible and intangible cultural assets within the county.”

Recently, Yeongdeok-gun has steadily promoted the designation and registration of cultural heritage with high preservation value. In 2019, the ‘Yeongdeok Yeonghae Market Street Modern Historical and Cultural Space’ was registered as a national registered cultural heritage, and in 2021, ‘Yeongdeok Goe-si Village’ was designated as a national folk cultural heritage, and the ‘Yeongdeok Jangyuksa Daeungjeon Mural’ was designated as a Gyeongbuk Province tangible cultural asset.

Last year, ‘Yeongdeok Ok-gye Chimsoojeong Area’ and ‘Yeongdeok Muan Park Clan Heeam Jesa’ were designated as nationally designated cultural heritage sites under scenic sites and national folk cultural heritage, respectively. This year, starting with ‘Yeongdeok Toyeom,’ several cultural heritages are expected to be designated or registered as national or Gyeongbuk Province cultural assets, raising public interest in Yeongdeok-gun’s historical and cultural resources.

Side view of the salt pan and the processes of salt production and brine extraction.

The production process can be broadly divided into salt field facility installation and Toyeom production. The installation of salt field facilities includes setting up salt pans, cauldrons, and cauldron houses, while the Toyeom production process involves making salt soil, extracting brine, and the water-raising process.

First, clay is artificially laid on land slightly away from the seaside to create a base, and trenches are made to draw seawater, forming an artificial salt field. Then, a filtration device called ‘seot’ and a storage facility for brine called ‘seotdogwan’ are installed facing each other across a ditch in the salt field. This is called a Yangbinsik (揚濱式) salt field, and locals in Yeongdeok refer to it as ‘yeompan’ (salt pan).

After constructing the salt pan, seawater is brought from the nearby sea using water carriers and poured into the trenches. The seawater in the trenches is then sprayed generously onto the sand on the salt pan using a tool called ‘bakdae’ to allow the sand to absorb it thoroughly. When the moisture evaporates due to sunlight and wind, a plowing process called ‘yeompan-galgi’ is performed using a plow attached to an ox to evenly distribute the salt absorbed by the sand.

This process is repeated for about 5 to 7 days depending on the weather, allowing the sand to absorb enough salt to become dark brown salt soil. Then, the salt soil is filtered through the ‘seot’ to extract brine.

Cauldrons for boiling the brine to make Toyeom and cauldron houses to protect them are installed near the salt pan. In Yeongdeok, cauldrons called ‘hoetgama’ made by mixing ash powder produced by burning large amounts of oyster or clam shells with clay were mainly used.

The boiling and firing process of the brine to produce Toyeom is called ‘mul olligi’ (water raising). This process requires the highest level of skill in Toyeom production and is divided into three stages: the first firing, where brine is slowly poured in proportion to the heat of the cauldron; the second firing, where brine is replenished as it evaporates; and the final firing, where the brine is boiled down until Toyeom is produced.

For fuel, pine branches that ignite well are preferred. Afterward, the remaining moisture is removed, completing the production of Yeongdeok Toyeom.

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