Best in Taste and Nutrition! Gwamegi Season... Pohang City Begins Full-Scale Shipment

Taste and Nutrition, Pohang's Representative Winter Delicacy Gwamegi Shipment Begins

Guryongpo-eup Ara Square Hosts 'Pohang Guryongpo Gwamegi Festival'

Guryongpo Gwamegi, a representative winter delicacy of Pohang, has entered full-scale shipment.

Guryongpo Gwamegi.

As the temperature difference between day and night increases in the Guryongpo area, where many Gwamegi drying racks are concentrated, the production of Gwamegi has reached its optimal time. Accordingly, Pohang City and the Pohang Guryongpo Gwamegi Business Cooperative began full-scale nationwide shipment of Guryongpo Gwamegi from the 20th of last month.

Guryongpo Gwamegi, which gains its unique savory flavor through repeated freezing and thawing by the sea breeze, is considered a treasure trove of various nutrients. It contains calcium, omega-3, asparagine, and vitamins, which are known to help improve immunity.

In the past, Gwamegi was popular mainly as a drinking snack, but nowadays, more people are enjoying it as a side dish or snack paired with various seaweeds and vegetables.

The production volume of Gwamegi was 1,814 tons in 2021 and 1,782 tons in 2022. However, due to the Fukushima contaminated water discharge incident and decreasing catch volumes, consumption is expected to decline. In response, Pohang City is focusing administrative efforts to support the livelihoods of the depressed fishing villages and fisheries.

To alleviate concerns about seafood safety related to the Fukushima contaminated water discharge, Pohang City has been operating the Pohang Seafood Quality Control Center since 2021, after being designated by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety as the first local government in the nation to be a testing and inspection institution for food and related products.

At the Pohang Seafood Quality Control Center, tests are conducted on Gwamegi, seafood, and other locally produced marine products for microorganisms, radioactivity, and more. They also test for pathogens such as Vibrio parahaemolyticus and E. coli to ensure consumers can trust and safely consume the seafood produced.

Additionally, the city is investing over 130 million KRW to support the activation of distribution and processing industries by providing standardized shipment systems, stainless steel drying carts, vacuum packaging machines, and packaging materials, so that consumers can enjoy Gwamegi with confidence.

Furthermore, to address labor shortages faced by seafood processing companies due to the declining fishing village population, the city supports seasonal foreign workers not only in Gwamegi production but also in processing winter seafood such as squid.

Since starting with 107 foreign seasonal workers at 41 companies in 2017, Pohang City has increased the number annually and plans to deploy 334 workers at 77 companies this year to ease concerns about the shrinking workforce in the fisheries sector.

Moreover, the 24th Pohang Guryongpo Gwamegi Festival will be held on the 18th and 19th at Ara Square in Guryongpo-eup, providing an opportunity to enjoy fresh and affordable Gwamegi directly from the production area.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok stated, “Our fishing communities are facing difficulties due to reduced catch volumes, the Fukushima contaminated water discharge, and declining fishing village populations. Since Pohang City thoroughly inspects and certifies the products, I hope consumers trust and consume high-quality Guryongpo Gwamegi to revitalize our local economy.”

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