Interestingly, the demand for white ginseng also increased rapidly. As a result, the production and distribution of white ginseng increased sharply in the 1920s and 30s, but the price did not decline and rose depending on the year. In fact, it would be difficult to say that white ginseng distribution was active in Korea until before. Because most of the ginseng in the area of ​​Gaeseong, which was the largest production area, was manufactured and exported as red ginseng, ginseng grown in other regions was distributed as white ginseng, and the quantity was small compared to the 1920s. Therefore, it can be said that the mass distribution of white ginseng, that is, popularization of white ginseng, began in earnest from around 1920, and the fact that the price was maintained or increased despite the rapid increase in quantity means that the demand for white ginseng at that time exploded.

This can be interpreted in two aspects. One is that individual people's elaboration has caused an increase in demand. They actively promoted white ginseng by actively using advertisements in modern media outlets and hand-made flyers, and at the same time, they also introduced a new sales method called mail-order, and achieved the results of expanding their sales channels. In addition, they are not limited to the domestic market, but also pioneered overseas markets such as China and Japan. On the other hand, an increase in white ginseng demand may be cited due to the expansion of the consumer base. Ginseng has always been used in the East. However, the use of white ginseng, which was relatively inexpensive compared to wild ginseng and red ginseng, would have greatly stimulated this potential demand.

In addition, the development of transportation and communication means that the distribution of white ginseng became much more convenient than during the Joseon Dynasty may have had an effect. As mentioned earlier, Kaesong merchants actively used mail-order sales, but local property owners were able to purchase white ginseng at home without the hassle of going directly to the ginseng market through mail-order sales. In addition to this, it should be seen that other factors have a complex influence on the popularization of white ginseng.

Anyway, I think that the time when the popularization of white ginseng began in the late 1910s, as Baeksam = Gunsam, which can be easily encountered these days, has been used in earnest as it is now.

 

 

Megosztás a facebookon