Man in his 50s strikes it rich on Jirisan with 11 wild ginseng roots worth $88,500

Eleven roots of cheonjong wild ginseng — a rare variety valued at 120 million won ($88,500) — have been found on the slopes of Jirisan in Macheon-myeon, Hamyang-gun, South Gyeongsang Province.

The Korea Traditional Simmani Association said Monday that a ginseng hunter in his 50s, identified only by the surname initial A, recently harvested the 11 roots at an elevation of around 800 meters on the Jirisan slopes near Odojae pass in Hamyang-gun.

Cheonjong wild ginseng refers to ginseng that has grown naturally in deep mountain terrain untouched by human hands for more than 50 years. Even professional ginseng hunters, known as simmani, rarely encounter it.

Unlike ordinary ginseng, which grows about 2 grams every 10 years, cheonjong ginseng grows only about 1 gram per decade and takes more than 100 years to develop five branches — reflecting its extraordinarily slow growth rate.

The roots discovered this time form a five-generation family cluster, comprising parent roots known as mosam and younger offspring roots called jasam.

Based on the deep yellow coloring of the rhizome heads, the parent root is estimated to be around 100 years old, while even the youngest offspring root is believed to be at least 20 years old.

An appraisal found the 11 roots weighed a combined 76 grams, with a total assessed value of 120 million won.

Jung Hyeong-beom, chairman of the Korea Traditional Simmani Association, said the find was "a precious achievement made under very difficult conditions, following more than three months of abnormal heat waves and heavy downpours this summer."