Honoring Liberation Day... Yeongju City Holds First Harvest of '8·15 Gwangbok Rice'

Yeongju City in North Gyeongsang Province and Anjeong Agricultural Cooperative (headed by Son Gieul) announced on August 14 that they held the "First Rice Harvest Event for the 2025 8·15 Gwangbok Rice Cultivation Complex" at the rice paddy of farmer Choi Ihan (age 36) in Ogyeri, Anjeong-myeon, and have begun early harvesting of freshly milled rice.

This event, held in Yeongju-a birthplace of the Daehan Gwangbokdan and a historic center of anti-Japanese militia-was organized to honor the significance of Liberation Day and to reflect on the spirit of patriotism.

This year's first harvest of "8·15 Gwangbok Rice" features ultra-early maturing varieties such as Jinoak, Haedam, and Miryang396. The rice was sown on April 24 and has ripened in just 113 days.

Starting with this harvest, the city plans to collect a total of 120 tons by the end of this month, releasing the rice in 4kg and 5kg packages to be supplied to consumers nationwide before Chuseok.

"8·15 Gwangbok Rice" is a regional flagship brand jointly developed by Yeongju City and Anjeong Agricultural Cooperative since 2012. It is harvested annually around Liberation Day to promote patriotism and, through early harvesting, contributes to increased income for local farmers.

Yeongju City, in partnership with Anjeong Agricultural Cooperative, operates a contract cultivation complex covering 20 hectares and provides 30 million won in incentives to participating farmers. The city also plans to foster "8·15 Gwangbok Rice" as a nationally renowned freshly milled rice brand by offering on-site guidance tailored to varietal characteristics and developing diverse sales channels.

Acting Mayor Junggeun Yoo stated, "We will boost farmers' income and strengthen the reputation of Yeongju rice by shipping high-quality freshly milled rice early. We also hope that '8·15 Gwangbok Rice,' produced in Yeongju, the birthplace of the Daehan Gwangbokdan, will become a symbol that inspires patriotism among consumers."

Yeongju is the region where the Daehan Gwangbokdan was first established in Punggi in 1913. Today, the city operates the Daehan Gwangbokdan Memorial Park in Sanbeop-ri, Punggi-eup, to honor the spirit of the independence movement.

(From left) Jongdeuk Lim, Member of the National Assembly; Junggeun Yoo, Acting Mayor of Yeongju; and Byeonggi Kim, Chairman of the City Council, are holding Gwangbok rice paddy. Provided by Yeongju City

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