Premium local specialties from Gangwon Province — including pine mushrooms that grow alongside the gold pines of the Baekdudaegan mountain range and apples from the pristine Punchbowl region of Yanggu-gun — are heading to market ahead of the Chuseok holiday.
Yangyang pine mushrooms, the finest in the country and the first forest product to be registered under the national geographical indication system, will hold their first auction of the season Thursday.
Yangyang pine mushrooms are prized nationwide for their low moisture content, firm flesh, and deep, rich aroma.
In 2006, they became the No. 1 registered forest product under the Korea Forest Service's geographical indication system, setting them apart from pine mushrooms produced elsewhere. While some local governments around the country have passed off Russian-imported mushrooms as domestic produce — or abandoned pine mushroom events altogether after local harvests dried up — Yangyang's are state-certified.
Yangyang Songyi Agricultural Cooperative and Yangyang-Sokcho Forestry Cooperative said they will begin purchasing freshly harvested mushrooms at the below-ground auction hall of the Yangyang-Sokcho Forestry Cooperative from 9 a.m. Thursday, with the first bidding round starting at 4:30 p.m.
In addition to pine mushrooms, other forest products that have seen growing demand — including hawk's wing mushrooms and rubber mushrooms — will also go up for bid at the auction hall.
Mushrooms brought in on the day are sorted into five grades — first through fourth, plus an ungraded category — based on size, shape and quality. Each grade is marked with a colored band in gold, silver, bronze or orange before going to open competitive bidding, with supply going to the highest bidder.
At last year's opening auction on Sept. 27, a total of 29.8 kilograms of pine mushrooms were purchased. Of that, 1.56 kilograms were top-grade first-class mushrooms, which sold at 1.14 million won ($841) per kilogram.
The highest price reached 1.61 million won per kilogram, while the lowest was 487,700 won.
The 2026 Yangyang Pine Mushroom Festival, one of the country's signature autumn events, is scheduled to run for three days from Oct. 16 to Oct. 18 along the Namdaecheon riverside and multipurpose plaza in Yangyang.
High mountains and deep valleys tend to concentrate sweetness in fruit — and it is no exaggeration to say that description fits the apples of Yanggu-gun, a clean border county nestled in remote highland terrain.
Yanggu apples, the county's signature autumn crop and a popular Chuseok gift, are now being shipped in earnest.
Some 215 farming households currently cultivate apples across 330 hectares in Yanggu-gun. The county expects to produce about 6,000 tons this year, generating 27 billion won in farm income.
The main varieties are Fuji at 55 percent, Hongro at 23 percent, Gold at 10 percent and others at 12 percent. About half of the mid-season Hongro crop is expected to ship before Chuseok, while Fuji and Shinano Gold varieties are forecast to begin full-scale shipments from late October.
Yanggu apples are grown under favorable conditions — a wide daily temperature range, low rainfall and abundant sunlight — that produce firm flesh and excellent storage quality. Their taste and quality have earned them a loyal following among consumers.
Yanggu-gun has the largest apple-growing area in Gangwon Province, with Haean-myeon accounting for more than 80 percent of the total cultivation area.
As climate change pushes suitable apple-growing zones further north, the county's cultivation area and output are expected to keep rising. Production is forecast to exceed 8,000 tons by 2027.
"Yanggu apples are the county's flagship agricultural product, known for their outstanding taste and quality," said Kim Byeong-ae, head of the agricultural support division. "We will continue working to support stable production by local farmers, strengthen competitiveness and ultimately raise farm household income."
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