FieldPolitics, Economy and Society / Economy & Industry
Contents TypePlace Name / Facility
Current Location22-3, Gomsohang-gil Jinseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
Definition
A fermented seafood production complex located in Gomso-ri, Jinseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.
Background of Construction
The Gomso Salted Seafood Complex was established by separating the production and sales of salted food products and grouping their producers in order to foster the fermented seafood production industry in the Gomso area.
Development
The production and sales of salted and fermented seafood products in the Gomso Bay started at ports such as Sapo and Julpo. By the early 1990s there were five or six commission agents, whereas in the 1930s twenty to thirty households had made salted seafood and managed its wholesale and retail. In Julpo, some forty stores lining a street packed with fish shops were engaged in the production and sales of salted seafood until the 1960s. However, in the 1970s, as the nearby sea was reclaimed with earth and sand, the production and sales of Julpo’s salted food, as well as Julpo Port, fell into decline. Then, when the local fishermen’s association and the dock union moved to Gomso Port, the port became an ideal place for producing and selling salted seafood due to the proximity of the Gomso salt field, which could provide a seamless supply of the salt essential for producing salted seafood. The history of the Gomso salted seafood production industry can be divided into three periods: the 1970s, the 1980s, and the early 1990s to the present. In the 1970s and 1980s, the number of producers involved in making and selling large quantities of salted seafood and salted seafood mixture increased at Gomso Port; however, compared to Julpo in the 1960s, the growing trend was relatively slow and the size of the business smaller. In the 1980s, due to the sedimentation of the local mudflats and the depletion of fish species at Gomso Port, merchants made salted seafood by purchasing seafood from other ports on the west coast and bringing it to Gomso. Furthermore, in the 1980s, as the number of visitors to Gomso increased due to the improvement of public transportation and the vitalization of neighboring tourist destinations, Gomso salted seafood was actively promoted, commercialized, and branded. From the early 1990s, Gomso began earning a reputation as one of, if not the, major salted seafood production areas in the west coast region. Finally, the Gomso Salted Seafood Complex was established by separating the production factory and shopping areas of salted seafood in order to facilitate the specialization of its production and sale.
Current Status
Some ninety Gomseo salted seafood producers are currently thriving in the complex. Using sun-dried salt from the Gomso Salt Field, they manufacture and sell about 7,000 tons of diverse salted seafood products every year. The main products include salted seafood such as shrimp, anchovy, beltfish, large-eyed herring, baby octopus, and sand lance, and salted seafood mixed and marinated with seasonings such as salted pollack roe, spicy salted pollack intestines, spicy salted squid, spicy salted oysters, spicy salted cod gills, marinated crab, and marinated river-caught Chinese mitten crab. Salted seafood set products are also on sale at the shops.
