“Can't Traditional Disappearing Foods Be Commercialized?”… Gyeongbuk Provincial Council, Research Service Report Meeting

The Gyeongbuk Provincial Council's "Gyeongsangbuk-do Traditional Food Discovery and Succession Research Group" (led by Representative Lee Chun-woo) announced on the 3rd that it held a mid-term report meeting for the "Research Service for the Discovery, Succession, and Local Specialty Commercialization of Disappearing Traditional Foods in the Gyeongbuk Region."

At the mid-term report meeting held on the 30th of last month, Professor Han Ki-dong of Yeungnam University, who is responsible for this research, recommended Sigumjang and soybean leaf kimchi varieties as traditional foods with high potential for local specialty commercialization. This recommendation was based on a literature review and field survey of traditional foods in the Gyeongbuk region, considering qualitative factors (taste, color, texture, nutritional value, uniqueness of ingredients), external factors (tradition, locality, popularity, development potential, marketability), and economic factors (industrialization potential, price competitiveness, development potential).

Members and officials belonging to the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council Traditional Food Discovery and Inheritance Research Group.

Representative Kim Jin-yeop of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Council, who attended the report meeting, suggested that consideration of shelf life, including spoilage and deterioration, is a priority for the commercialization of traditional foods. Representative Lee Hyung-sik requested that if it is difficult to discover detailed traditional foods at the city and county level, discoveries should at least be made by region to ensure the proper identification of a more diverse range of regional traditional foods.

Representative Kang Man-soo mentioned that although commercialization of Sigumjang was promoted in Seongju, popularization was difficult due to consumer preferences. He recommended various utilization methods, such as developing sauces using traditional food ingredients, to enable industrial revitalization.

Representative Lee Chun-woo, head of the research group, emphasized that this research service should serve as an opportunity for the Gyeongbuk Province to directly seek out and document forgotten local traditional foods by city and county, preserving and developing them. Furthermore, he stated that the Provincial Council would also focus its efforts to contribute to the specialization and commercialization of disappearing traditional foods.

The "Gyeongsangbuk-do Traditional Food Discovery and Succession Research Group" consists of Representative Lee Chun-woo and Representatives Kang Man-soo, Kim Jin-yeop, Noh Sung-hwan, Lee Chung-won, and Lee Hyung-sik. Based on the results derived from the research service over approximately five months until early November, the findings will be utilized for policy development, legislative alternatives, and other council members' legislative activities.

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