종달리 소금의 상품화 방안

A Research on the Commercialization of Salt in Jongdal-ri Village

The so-called senary industry (or the sixth-level industry) refers to the industrial consolidation for increased efficiency that takes place between selected areas from the primary sector (including agriculture, forestry, and fisheries), the secondary sector (including the manufacture of goods and processing of raw materials) and the tertiary sector (including the provision of services and distribution of goods). Japan has already utilized its various seafood to produce a range of senary products since the early 2000s as a measure of regional revitalization. It works to create added value by focusing on the production of small commodities and multiple items and by adding local specialty associated with regional indigenous industries to the products. In particular, Japan has nurtured its senary sector with a focus on raw materials such as salt and salt-based items as a way of highlighting the local specialty of the production sites and promoting the products as premium. Although the method of producing sun-dried salt (as it is dried in the mud flats in Korea) disappeared, Japan still produces and sells salt in other various ways. Since 2002, salt has been traded and imported without any restrictions, leading to free distribution of salt from overseas production sites. The growing popularity of natural food and the increased recognition of imported salt required administrative guidance on the safety and quality of the products for the protection of consumers. In this sense, Japan legislated the ‘Fair Competition Act on Display of Edible Salt’ and mandated the sales of salt with the related accreditation labeled. Salt products currently manufactured and sold in Japan are grouped and categorized based on type, such as rock-salt, sea salt, special salt from overseas, and more, featuring some 150 different items. Vol. 3 of the Chronicle of Korean Fisheries (1910) documented the record from 1573 (mid-Joseon era) where then-Jeju Governor Kang Yeo designated the mud flat of the village of Jongdal-ri as a suitable salt field. He then sent a community leader to the Korean mainland who later returned with knowledge on how to produce salt and shared it with the villagers. Later historic records show that 353 households in the 1900s included nearly 160 residents involved in salt production, with 46 kilns used to boil brine. Instead of sun-drying the salt, the villagers poured seawater onto the sand to melt the bittern and boiled the brackish water in the traditional caldron. Jeju is a tourist destination and has the potential to develop a range of cultural products using its UNESCO Natural Heritage title. Although there is no longer salt production in Jongdal-ri, this could change. If Jeju succeeds in restoring production techniques and reviving the artisan high-quality salt industry, it can presumably produce an island-specific salt that is different from the mudflat-based ones of Jeollanamdo (a province in the southwest of Korea). It may be a good strategy for regional revitalization to bring recognition to Jongdal-ri of Jeju by producing artisan, high-quality salt in small yield rather than in abundance.