팔면 개당 50만 원 받는데 도둑놈들이 자꾸만 훔쳐 간다, 6만 5천 평 땅에 그냥 뿌려버렸더니 주인도 찾기 힘들어진 산양삼｜극한직업｜#골라듄다큐

Heaven’s gift of autumn—wild-simulated ginseng. As temperatures swing dramatically during fall, Koreans turn to powerful herbs like wild-simulated ginseng (san-yang-sam) to boost immunity. Said to be nurtured by mountain spirits, it becomes most potent in autumn, storing all its energy in the roots after shedding its leaves. Deep in the mountains of Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, a mother and son cultivate san-yang-sam across a sprawling 65,000-pyeong (approx. 214,000 m²) forest. They sow seeds each year and harvest only when orders come in—ranging from 1-year-old roots to rare 20-year-old treasures. But because the area is so vast, even the farmers struggle to find where it’s growing. In fall, when the leaves vanish, locating it becomes a treasure hunt beneath the earth. Some roots fetch up to 500,000 won apiece, making them prime targets for thieves. To protect their harvest, they use all kinds of methods—from ringing gongs to scare off wild boars to carefully tracking signs of wildlife and digging by hand to avoid damaging the roots. Meanwhile in Geochang, at 700m elevation near Jirisan Mountain, a veteran cultivator named Hyun-woo tends 80,000 pyeong (approx. 264,000 m²) of land. Every task—from selective logging to planting—is done by hand. San-yang-sam is so delicate it can’t be grown on the same land twice, and less than 10% of seeds survive past 10 years. Hyun-woo climbs the steep forest slopes daily to manage weeds and check growth, often dodging massive ground wasps to protect his crop. Despite the intense labor, only those with official forestry licenses can grow this precious plant. Let’s follow these ginseng farmers and their fight to unearth autumn’s hidden treasure. Program Title: Extreme Jobs – Autumn’s Treasure Harvest: Gooseneck Barnacles and Wild-Simulated Ginseng Aired on: September 27, 2025 #WildGinseng #Sanyangsam #AutumnHarvest #MountainFarming #ExtremeJobs #TraditionalHerbs #GinsengHunting #KoreanMountains #GangwonProvince #ForestLife #SustainableFarming #PICKDOCU