For generations, ancestors living in Korea have cultivated ginseng and used it as medicine or a healthy food ingredient.
The word “insam” (ginseng) comes from the shape of its roots, which resemble a human figure. The wild ginseng that grows in the mountains is called “sansom,” and the cultivated ginseng is called “insam.”
Ancient documents show that the people of Goguryeo moved young sansam or planted sansam seeds under trees in mountainous areas in the mid-1st century BC. The “Samguk Sagi” records a story of sending ginseng to neighboring countries, and “Goryeosa” and “Annals of the Joseon Dynasty” describe in detail the medicinal properties, cultivation, and processing of ginseng.
Ginseng cultivation in Korea became more active during the Koryo period, with Kaesong, which had favorable natural conditions and developed commerce, becoming the center of ginseng cultivation and processing by the 11th and 12th centuries. As ginseng was exported to other countries, it became known as “Koryo Insam” and “Kaesong Insam,” spreading worldwide. The trade ports in Koryo was said to have ships of foreign merchants who came to buy ginseng, with their masts forming a forest.
Ginseng was introduced to Europe in the early 17th century, and interest in Korean ginseng increased rapidly in Europe after it was introduced as a Korean specialty in “Hamel’s Journal”, written by a Dutchman who was stranded in Korea in 1653.
Today, ginseng cultivation and use are registered as national cultural heritage in the DPRK, and many ginseng products, including ginseng tea, ginseng extract, and ginseng liquor, are used to promote people’s health. Cosmetics made from ginseng as a raw material are also in high demand. In Kaesong, the birthplace of Koryo Insam, there are farms, factories, and research institutes that specialise in ginseng cultivation, processing, and research. Efforts to preserve the unique characteristics of Kaesong Koryo Ginseng and increase its production are actively underway.
Translated from: Pyongyang Moranbong Editorial
