Miryang Strawberry
[Photo courtesy of Yonhap News Archive]
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Yoon-gu – The National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service announced on the 2nd that the ‘Miryang Strawberry’, a representative specialty product of Miryang City in South Gyeongsang Province, has been newly registered as the 118th geographical indication agricultural product.
With this registration, ‘Miryang Strawberry’ is expected to establish itself as a premium strawberry with government-guaranteed quality, protected by exclusive rights to the name.
A geographical indication is a system where the state recognizes and protects the intellectual property rights of superior specialty products from specific regions.
Miryang is considered the optimal place for strawberry cultivation since strawberries were first grown in the Samrangjin area in 1943, thanks to its fertile soil from the meeting of the Miryang River and the Nakdong River, its mild climate, and abundant sunshine.
The National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service particularly noted that over 70% of the region’s strawberries are produced through traditional soil cultivation (a method where plants are directly planted in the ground), characterized by a rich flavor from the soil’s nutrients, a high sugar content of over 10 Brix, and dense flesh.