Introduce the city of Sangju, the frontrunner of Korea’s agricultural export market

Now it’s time to introduce one of Korea’s most promising companies. Today I bring you a story about the city of Sangju in southeastern Korea. A trade agreement reached at the WTO Uruguay Round in 1993 exposed Korea’s agricultural sector to outside competition. The flood of agricultural imports lowered the prices of domestic agricultural products and threatened the livelihood of Korean farmers. Korea’s rural communities were losing hope for the future, but lately the agricultural sector is providing inspiration. Korea’s agricultural products have found routes to overseas markets, making agriculture one of the nation’s new growth engines. The city of Sangju is a shining example of the revived farming sector. Korean farmers see the new, hopeful future from the success of Sangju. Here’s Mr. Cha Jin-hwan of the Sangju municipal government’s strategic development team to tell us about the city’s success.