"Promotion of Jeju Citrus, the nation's fruit, at 'Citrus Day' held at Bongeunsa Temple in Seoul"

(Jeju=Yonhap News) Reporter Go Seong-sik = The '10th Anniversary of Citrus Day' event, which promotes the excellent taste and quality of Jeju's national fruit, the citrus, was held at Bongeunsa Temple in Seoul on the 6th. Jeju Province designates December 1st as Citrus Day, embodying the meaning of 'the number one fruit in winter (December) on the first day', and 'quality standards of sugar content of 12 Brix or more and acidity of less than 1%'. For the past 10 years, citrus promotion events have been held in the metropolitan area around Citrus Day. The event, held under the slogan 'Citrus, Hurray, Jeju Citrus', was organized by Jeju Province and the Jeju Citrus Association. During the event, 300 packs (500g each) of Jeju citrus were provided to participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Following the memorial event, a cultural performance by 'New Jins' Yoon Sung-ho and singer Bio was held. Yoon Sung-ho and Bio also participated in the Jeju Hometown Love Donation. The Jeju Citrus Association donated 1,201 boxes of citrus to the Bongeunsa Temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, reflecting the meaning of Citrus Day. This Citrus Day memorial event will continue for two days until the 7th. Throughout the event, various programs will be held at Bongeunsa Temple, including citrus tasting and sales, a Jeju specialty product pop-up store, social media events, and citrus variety exhibitions, allowing visitors to directly experience the competitiveness of Jeju citrus. At the Hometown Love Donation booth, Jeju agricultural and specialty products will be introduced, and donation encouragement activities will be carried out. Jeju Province plans to expand policy support to improve citrus quality, stabilize farm management, and ensure industry sustainability, including strengthening the citrus quality management system, agricultural innovation, and expanding the integrated logistics infrastructure. A fresh delivery system will also be strengthened based on the inland hub integrated logistics center to ensure that consumers can quickly receive fresher and higher quality Jeju citrus anywhere in the country. Jeju Governor Oh Yeong-hoon said, "Jeju citrus is Jeju's representative industry, concentrated with the effort and technology of farmers," and "This year's citrus has reduced sourness and increased sugar content, resulting in excellent quality." He added, "I hope that the 10th anniversary of Citrus Day will be an opportunity for more consumers to experience Jeju citrus and the winter of Jeju." koss@yna.co.kr