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생명과학기술혁신센터, 제주표고버섯산업 지원사업 본격 추진
Life Science Technology Center pushes for shiitake mushroom industry

Jeju National University Life Science Technology Center (Kim Sae Je, Director) plans to develop a shiitake mushroom industry in Jeju under the contract with Jeju Autonomous Government Environmental Conservation Bureau (Park Keun Soo, Director).

The early historical records such as “Mokeun Report” (Korea Dynasty) and other historical documents of Yi Dynasty refer to shiitake mushrooms having been brought to the capital from Jeju Island. The Jeju mushrooms were offered to the kings, as it was described in the records.

Also, during the late Choseon dynasty and Japanese occupation periods, a few businessmen from Japan invested in developing the artificial farming of the Jeju mushroom in Jeju, as recorded in “Under-development Reports” and “Jeju Tours Diary.”

Once prosperous mushroom industry accounting for over 72% of the mushroom production in Korea dwindled to less than 1% level today due to the Mt Halla being designated in 1970 as a National Park and other environmental changes including lumbering and deforestation after the end of Japanese occupation. The shiitake mushrooms’ habitat, oak trees, were greatly reduced resulting from the environmental changes in the mountainous soils.

Jeju Autonomous Government started the mushroom industry’s revival project to produce what was the once priceless offering to the king as an environmentally friendly industrial farming business in Jeju.

Sixteen farms have been selected to take part in the oak tree forestation project for the mushroom farming with technical and marketing support from the life science technology institute, according to Mr. Lee Chang Heup, Chief of Jeju Leisure Forest Department, and Professor Kim Sae Je of the institute.