Yecheon-gun farmer named 2026 New Knowledge Farmer

Hwang Young-suk, head of Nongbu Changgo agricultural cooperative in Yecheon-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, has been named a 2026 New Knowledge Farmer, the county announced Monday.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on Thursday selected five honorees from a pool of 40 candidates for the designation, recognizing individuals who have driven change and innovation in agriculture and rural communities across fields including fruit cultivation and food processing. Each recipient received the New Knowledge Farmer Award.

Three of the five honorees were from North Gyeongsang Province.

Hwang has expanded the market for domestically grown sesame and perilla seeds by maintaining contract purchasing agreements with local farms. The raw ingredients are processed into sesame oil and perilla oil for sale, and Hwang has also pursued overseas exports, working to connect locally grown produce with consumers.

Hwang drew particular recognition for developing a cold-press manufacturing technology for sesame and perilla oils that preserves the nutritional content of the raw ingredients while reducing the generation of harmful substances.

"I am glad to have my efforts recognized — efforts to ensure that the sesame and perilla seeds grown with such care by local farmers reach consumers as trustworthy products," Hwang said. "I will continue to grow alongside local farms and work harder to promote the value of Yecheon sesame."

A Yecheon-gun official said the county would continue to support the growth of processing-focused farmers who raise the added value of agriculture and open new markets in the region.