Heo Ho and Min Sook-hee, the best craftsmen of Gyeongsangbuk-do who brought innovation to the Hamchang silk industry in Sangju, hang silk woven on a loom and dry it in the natural wind. / Correspondent Go Do Hyun 

| 'The world's only 'luxury product' through modernization of wearable sericulture

Heo Ho (56, CEO of Heo Si Silk), who has been producing traditional silk fabrics with cocoon threads for over 30 years in Hamchang-eup, Sangju-si, the hometown of Hamchang silk, was selected as the best craftsman in North Gyeongsang Province in the textile field last June.

Mr. Heo has been moving from 'wearing sericulture' to 'eating sericulture' since the collapse of the domestic sericulture industry, but he has continued the family business of silk weaving that he learned from his mother.

At first, his silk production, which only existed, increased income every year thanks to the promotion of Hamchang silk, the hosting of the Silk Fashion Design Festival, the establishment of a silk theme park and silk museum, and support programs for sericulture farms promoted by Sangju City. Encouraged by this, Ms. Heo came to see the innovation of the Hamchang silk industry, including registering three patents and one utility model by applying a new technology to coat silk fabric with persimmon juice, and paving the way for export.

Mr. Heo's prominence also influenced other silk farmers, accounting for 99% of the national production. Six out of 12 Gyeongsangbuk-do sericulture farms announced by Gyeongbuk Province, half of them, vomited their spirit.

It was in the limelight as an export industry until the mid-1970s. Since the advent of synthetic fibers such as nylon, 'sericulture to wear' has virtually disappeared nationwide, and it is transforming into 'sericulture to eat' such as mulberry and mulberry.

However, in Sangju, 'wear sericulture' is also showing off its strength and is reviving as the 6th agricultural industry along with 'eating sericulture'. Hamchang Myeongju is showing new possibilities as another high-income industry in Sangju agriculture with many star agricultural products.

◆A profitable sericulture, Hamchang silk

More and more consumers are looking for Hamchang silk, which is famous as one of the three representative traditional fabrics in Korea along with Hansan ramie and Andongpo.

Silk, also called silk, has been a precious fabric since ancient times as a symbol of wealth or success. Chemical fibers such as nylon, polyester, and acrylic were once popular, but people are looking for natural fibers that are not sensitive to fashion again, and they are fascinated by the elegance and warmth of silk.

Hamchang silk has a soft and rugged texture, yet exudes a nostalgic classical beauty, and recently developed products are receiving favorable reviews for being equipped with a modern sense.

Twenty-two members of the silkworm breeding farming association in Hamchang, Sangju, which produce shrouds, hanbok, scarves, and natural dyed silk fabrics with traditional techniques sold 150,000 pieces of silk last year, posting an all-time high of 15 billion won in sales. It is solidifying its position as the best silk farm in the country to the extent that most of Gyeongsangbuk-do’s hundreds of millions of silk farmhouses flock to this corporation.

The Hamchang region was in danger of having to stop production of traditional silk a few years ago because it could not find domestically produced silkworm cocoons. This is because silkworm cocoons have become rare as the sericulture industry has shifted to health supplements. However, since 2002, as Gyeongbuk Province and Sangju City set up a plan for the 5th anniversary and supported the creation of mulberry fields, Hamchang Myungju began to revive.

In particular, scarves and fabrics dyed with persimmon water on traditional silk have been reborn as unique patterns that are only one in the world, and their rarity value is recognized.

Persimmon dyed silk fabric made by hand has a completely different pattern depending on natural conditions such as sun, wind, water, and time in the process of coloring even if it has the same design. There is a charm.

Mr. Heo Ho said, "I thought that not being able to make the same product would be a disadvantage, but since there is only one piece of fabric in the world, Hamchang silk is selling better because of its uniqueness."

In addition, Sangju is the nation's leading producer of persimmons, so it uses the persimmons that have fallen as ingredients, so there is no additional material cost.

◆Relocated to Jamsa Insect Farm in Gyeongbuk-do

The 100-year-old silkworm plant in Gyeongsangbuk-do (jangjang Dong-soo Seol), which plays a key role in the revival of the Sangju silk industry, produces the only 15-inch-wide silk thread in Korea, joint breeding supply for annuae, and cordyceps spawn.

For the development of the Hamchang silk industry, North Gyeongsang Province and Sangju City relocated the Silkworm Insect Plant from Bokryong-dong, Sangju to Hamchang, 20 km away, and created a silk museum and silk theme park right next to it.

The silkworm insect business has been busy trying to increase the supply as raw silk (thread extracted from silkworm cocoons) has recently increased in consumption. Until last year, the plant produced an average of 200 kg of raw silk every year, but this year, it increased production and supplied 620 kg of raw silk to Hamchang Myeongju farmers.

Currently, Hamchang Silk produces services that can further increase various added values by combining silk production (primary industry) and the sale of processed fabrics that are more valuable as gifts or souvenirs (secondary industry) using tourism experiences, etc. (third industry) industry) and emerged as a hidden card of the so-called 'sixth industry'.