Soaring mushroom prices have pickers flocking to mountains

Mushroom picking has seen an uptick as prices has soared on poor conditions, but the government is urging amateur harvesters to educate themselves on the relevant laws.

The first pine mushrooms a mushroom hunter found this year. [JOONGANG ILBO

An office worker has taken to hiking mountains — not for leisure, but to hunt for mushrooms.

After reading a news article three years ago that wild pine mushrooms were selling for 900,000 won per kilogram ($290 per pound), he grabbed his friends and headed for the mountains.

“In the three weeks before the peak mushroom season, I've been scouting sites in Chungcheong and northern Gyeonggi to find gukwang,” he said, referring to the old spots where people once dug for ginseng. “Just thinking about pine and matsutake mushrooms waiting for me makes me excited.”

The Korea Forest Service predicted mushroom yields will be poor this year, following large-scale wildfires that swept through North Gyeongsang's Uljin County and Gangwon's Samcheok, Gangneung and Donghae earlier this spring, as well as extreme heat and heavy rain that followed during the summer.

Prices have climbed accordingly. As of Oct. 1, top-grade pine mushrooms from Yangyang, Gangwon, known as premium products, were trading at 1.45 million won per kilogram, while second-grade ones sold for 759,000 won. Matsutake mushrooms, which are generally harvested in greater quantities, also saw high prices, with top-grade specimens from Hongcheon, Gangwon, selling for 145,100 won per kilogram and second-grade for 106,300 won.

A person looks at a bid price list in the basement of the Yangyang-Sokcho Forestry Cooperative in Yangyang County, Gangwon, on Oct. 2. [YONHAP]

With prices soaring, more young Koreans are taking to the mountains to pick "gold-priced" mushrooms themselves.

“I used to buy mushrooms often, but now they're too expensive, so I started picking them myself,” said another mushroom scavenger. “Within legal limits, I'm learning where to find good spots and how to harvest them properly.”

An administrator of an online chat group dedicated to wild herbs and mushrooms, which has around 200 members, said the number of participants has increased with the arrival of harvest season.

“Before, most members were in their 40s and 50s, but recently more people in their 30s have joined, and even some in their 20s,” the administrator said.

Under Korean law, collecting forest products such as mushrooms or herbs without the landowner's permission is illegal. For national forests, approval must be obtained from the Korea Forest Service.

Article 73 of the Creation and Management of Forest Resources Act stipulates that those who gather forest products without consent can face up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won ($35,500).

A picker who runs a local mushroom cooperative said that during pine mushroom season, even when residents are barred from entering without permits, “some people get caught trying to climb up without knowing the rules,” adding, “Banners and ropes are set up to block access and prevent unauthorized harvesting.”

A special forest police officer cracks down on the illegal harvesting of forest products. [KOREA FOREST SERVICE]

To prevent illegal foraging, the Korea Forest Service launched an intensified crackdown from Sept. 15 to Oct. 31, deploying around 1,700 forest rangers along with drone patrols and unmanned surveillance cameras.

“Gathering mushrooms or other forest products without the landowner's permission — even in private forests — is illegal,” an agency official said. “Violations involving protected species may lead to heavier penalties, so people should be fully aware of the regulations.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY KIM CHANG-YONG [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]