Salt made by the sky, sea, and humans

A saltern founded in 1953 and symbolizing the bay salt of the West Sea

After driving south along Daebuhwanggeum-ro Road and passing Seongamdo Island, you will soon see signs reading Dongju Saltern. In terms of the foundation year and the way salt is made, it is a symbol of Korea's history of bay salt production.

Gunja Saltern and Sorae Saltern, which boasted a huge area spreading on tidal flats, have already been transformed into ecological parks after closing, but salt farming is still being carried out in Dongju Saltern. Here, a salt warehouse constructed in a traditional way is used, in the experience area. Baek Seung-geun, the owner of the saltern, says, "Dongju Saltern has appeared in almost all of the news reports and TV shows about salt farming in Korea, probably over 100 times."

Salt farming has declined considerably over the last decades. Skilled workers are growing old, and no one wants take up such a hard job. In the past, approximately 8,000 tons of salt was produced here, but the salt production has recently decreased to less than half. The early workers' quarters and office buildings that had been used until a few years ago were destroyed by typhoons.

It is pride that has supported Dongju Saltern thus far. The salt aged in the warehouse tastes surprisingly sweet. It has an about 74 % salinity and is rich in minerals and a great aftertaste. The secret of this excellent taste is its salt pans, whose floor is covered with pieces of broken pottery. In the past, the floor was made of pieces of real broken pottery. But nowadays, as it is difficult to secure the needed amount of pottery, the tiles made of clay replace the pottery pieces. So, the salt of Dongju Saltern is more hygienic and safer, than that produced by other salterns in which linoleum is used for the floor. It is also superior in taste.

<Copyright(c)2002 GGC All rights reserved.>