Wando-gun county in Jeollanam-do, South Korea, is investing 150 million won to develop new varieties of wood ear mushrooms. The county aims to establish a stable production system to replace imports, as over 95% of the distribution volume in Korea is currently from China. The project is part of the county's response to various national research projects by 2023, to serve as a growth engine for the local mushroom industry and the future food industry.