The Jeonnam Provincial Forest Resources Research Institute in Korea is conducting the country's first research into artificial truffle cultivation. Truffles are a type of mushroom that grows in symbiosis with tree roots. The institute aims to use next-generation sequencing to find truffle strains in Korean forest soils and develop inoculated seedlings using native tree species for acclimatization. The research is part of a Ministry of Agriculture, Food and R&D contest to increase income and revitalize the mushroom industry. It was confirmed that truffles are growing wild in approximately 20 locations in Korea.