Exhibition at COEX lets South Jeolla Province showcase sea salt

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Lifestyle

Tue, September 26, 2023 | 04:38

Travel & Food

Exhibition at COEX lets South Jeolla Province showcase sea salt

Posted : 2023-08-15 08:25

Updated : 2023-08-15 14:42

A sea salt farmer in Amtae Island in Shinan County, South Jeolla Province, shovels sea salt at a local sea salt farm, October 2021. Korea Times file

Exhibition promotes benefits of mineral

By Ko Dong-hwan

An annual exhibition at COEX in Seoul this week has become South Jeolla Province's chance to show off one of its representative products. That product is sea salt, produced by the evaporation of ocean water.

Sea salt has more uses than seasoning for food. It can promote oral hygiene, heal respiratory organs and provide beauty care by spreading on scalp or other body parts.

Organizers of the Salt Exhibition 2023 held Wednesday to Saturday, describe sea salt produced on the southwestern coastal mudflats as "jewels made by the sky, ocean and wind."

Jointly hosted by the South Jeolla provincial government, county governments of Yeonggwang and Shinan, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the exhibition aims to promote the exceptional taste and quality of the region's sea salt to consumers around the world. Yeonggwang and Shinan are the key districts that produce sea salt.

There are six pavilions at the exhibition featuring the region's sea salt.

The main pavilion showcases the history, ideal environmental conditions for sea salt harvesting and various salts from around the world.

At the Travel Pavilion, visitors can look at various sea salt products for camping. Travel destinations in Yeonggwang and Shinan are also introduced at the pavilion.

The Healthy Pavilion offers visitors a chance to experience various self-help remedies using sesa salt to improve beauty, dental health and respiratory functions.

The Life Pavilion shares tips on how to use ocean salt in our daily lives and introduces the latest products that use the mineral.

At the Consumer Pavilion, visitors can find out about various certification systems the country uses to approve high-quality sea salt so local consumers can chose products wisely.

The Brand Pavilion features sea food products from the coast of South Jeolla Province at discounted prices, including sea salt and abalones.

On the opening day of the exhibition, representatives of local food and restaurant associations gather at COEX to sign agreements to promote South Jeolla sea salts locally as well as globally. A symposium will take place on the second day discussing ways to promote the region's sea salts to markets overseas.

Park Chang-hwan, the provincial government's vice-governor for administrative affairs, said that South Jeolla sea salt "from provincial waters that have gained recognition by the UNESCO has been consistently popular among local consumers" and "it is time for the sea salt to become a premier brand."

The exhibition has been held since 2009 to raise global awareness of the region's sea salt. Until 2022, over 580,000 visitors visited the exhibition, according to the South Jeolla provincial government.

aoshima11@koreatimes.co.kr