Sweet Seongju Korean melon shipped for the first time this year..."A goal of 700 billion won".

[Anchor]
This year's first melon harvest began in Seongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, where 80% of the nation's melons are produced.

It recorded the highest sales ever last year, and it is said that the sugar content is very high due to the amount of sunlight this year.

Reporter Kim Geun-woo reports.

[Reporter]
A fresh yellow melon ran through the green vines.

The face of the farmer looking at the melon raised like a child is full of pride.

[Bae Seonho / Korean melon grower: In order for Korean melons to come out at this time of year, they have to go through both hot and cold times. I'm grateful in many ways because the process I've been through is so rewarding, and I feel very good.]

This year's first harvest began in Seongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, which produces 180,000 tons of melons annually and 80% of the nation's melons.

The sugar content of Korean melons is over 17 Briggs.

There are many clear days this winter, so production, sweetness, and size are all good.

Last year, the highest sales ever reached 620 billion won, and this year's goal is 700 billion won.

[Kim Joo-seop / Director of Seongju-gun Agricultural Technology Center] Last year, the weather was quite nice in November and December 2024. The amount of sunlight was good, so the growth so far is quite good.]

Seongju-gun even held a dedication ceremony to offer melon to the sky and prayed for a good harvest.We plan to support farmers by introducing smart agricultural technology and developing new varieties under the slogan of

'Changing the Korean melon industry'.

[Lee Byung-hwan / Seongju County, North Gyeongsang Province: We will continue to make special efforts to make our Seongju melon become a world-class specialty through smart farming, distribution innovation, and export in preparation for the AI era.]

In addition, we decided to eliminate unnecessary sticker work and reduce packaging boxes to target single-person households.

I'm Kim Geunwoo from YTN.


VJ: Yoon Ye-on