Geumsan County is exploring changes for the sustainable development of its ginseng industry, actively accepting opinions presented at the recent 'Geumsan Forum' and promising to strengthen cooperation. This is expected to be a crucial opportunity to find a breakthrough for the struggling ginseng industry and rebuild the core driving force of the local economy.

On June 27, Geumsan Forum Chairman Kim Ho-taek, along with representatives Kang Jeong-heon and Han Jeong-man, and Secretary-General Kim Beom-soo, met with Geumsan County Governor Park Beom-in. They requested the county's active support for the revitalization of the Geumsan ginseng and medicinal herb industry and a review of the opinions discussed at the forum held on June 17 on the second floor of the Geumsan Fresh Ginseng Center. (Some reports mentioned the forum date as June 7, but the main discussion points are consistent.)

Approximately 120 ginseng industry stakeholders, including Geumsan Forum members, producers, distributors, and policy officials, attended the forum to publicize the realistic challenges facing the ginseng industry and deeply discuss mid- to long-term development plans. The discussion diagnosed the overall stagnation of the current ginseng industry, including decreased ginseng consumption and cultivation area, price drops, and export sluggishness. Changes in consumer eating habits and intensifying competition in the health functional food market were identified as the causes of these problems.

Specific discussion topics included: ▲improving and expanding ginseng cultivation infrastructure ▲strengthening transparency in the ginseng industry ▲establishing a safe ginseng distribution system ▲computerizing distribution data ▲converting the 'Hu' space after the health center relocation into a complex space linked with experience, healing, and tourism ▲establishing an effective system through public-private collaboration. In particular, the importance of future market strategies, such as production automation, smart farm adoption, enhanced safety inspections, provision of incentives, improvement of distribution structures, and exploration of international distribution center utilization, was emphasized, along with policy support through public-private cooperation.

Geumsan County Governor Park Beom-in emphasized, "To protect the reputation of Geumsan ginseng, a transition to a distribution system based on safety and trust is desperately needed." He added, "We will spare no policy support to create a sustainable ginseng industry ecosystem." He also expressed plans to build a digital-based distribution information system and actively reflect on-site opinions to enhance policy implementation. Geumsan County is already operating a task force (TF) team to address the decrease in ginseng cultivation area and is actively working to strengthen the international status of the Geumsan World Ginseng Festival and explore overseas markets, such as the United States, for the globalization of Geumsan ginseng.

This Geumsan Forum is evaluated as a crucial turning point where the private and public sectors put their heads together to seek the sustainable development potential of the Geumsan ginseng industry. Attention is now focused on whether the policy support from Geumsan County and the active participation of the private sector will create synergy, allowing the Geumsan ginseng industry to seize a new opportunity for advancement.

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