Donghae launches smart farming test site in Mangsang-dong

Donghae, in Gangwon Province, has launched a smart farming experiment, beginning with a pilot cultivation of Seolhyang strawberries.

The city sits where the sea meets the Baekdudaegan mountain range in a mixed fishing-and-farming landscape. It is working to expand its advanced industry and international trade base while pursuing balanced development of its marine and inland resources.

The city planted about 1,000 seedlings of Seolhyang — a domestically bred strawberry variety — across 10 elevated growing beds at a smart farming test bed facility in Mangsang-dong, marking the start of its first pilot cultivation.

Mangsang-dong carries historical significance: it is where Nam Gu-man, chief state councillor during the rivalry between royal consorts Jang Hui-bin and Queen Inhyeon in the reign of King Sukjong of the Joseon Dynasty, was sent into exile and carried out agricultural enlightenment work. The area is also immortalized in his sijo poem, which opens with the line "Has the eastern window brightened?" and evokes "the long field beyond the hill."

The city developed the smart farming test bed in Mangsang-dong to respond to climate change and lay the groundwork for applying digital farming technology in the field.

With the test bed now in operation, Donghae has added smart farming demonstration and education functions to its existing scientific farming support services, which include soil testing, livestock manure composting inspections and beneficial microorganism cultivation.

The strawberries are expected to be harvested starting in December. The city plans to run farmer education programs covering the entire cultivation process — including environmental controls and nutrient solution management — timed to the harvest season, and to share accumulated data with farming households to support the spread of smart farming technology in the field.