Pine mushroom prices in Yangyang, Gangwon State, are surging as a dry autumn sharply cuts shipments. The top-grade price topped 1.62 million won (about $1,160) per kilogram, surpassing not only this year's previous high but also last season's peak.
According to auction results from the Yangyang-Sokcho Forestry Cooperative, 2.57 kilograms of top-grade pine mushrooms sold for 1,623,700 won per kilogram on the 30th. That was the highest price since auctions began on the 17th.
The previous high this year was 1,578,800 won, recorded on the 21st. The latest winning bid was 44,900 won, or 2.8%, above that level. It also exceeded last year's top-grade peak of 1,611,200 won for the entire auction season by 12,500 won, or 0.8%. That means this year's auctions surpassed last season's high roughly two weeks after opening.
Prices climbed more steeply after the Chuseok holiday. Auctions were suspended on the 25th, the holiday itself, and the top-grade winning bid fell to 909,600 won on the 26th. But it recovered to 1,212,200 won on the 27th, then rose for four consecutive trading days to 1,387,000 won on the 28th, 1,433,300 won on the 29th and 1,623,700 won on the 30th.
Compared with the 26th, the price jumped 714,100 won, or 78.5%, in just four days. It was also up 421,800 won, or 35.1%, from 1,201,900 won on the 17th, the first auction day of the year.
The main driver has been a drop in shipments caused by a recent drought. Auction volumes fell sharply right after Chuseok.
Daily auction volume stood at 376.52 kilograms on the 24th and rose to 660.59 kilograms on the 26th after the holiday suspension. It then declined to 336.07 kilograms on the 27th and 308.68 kilograms on the 28th, before falling to 158.44 kilograms on the 29th. Volume on the 30th came to just 160.89 kilograms.
Jeon Do-young, head of the Yangyang-Sokcho Forestry Cooperative, said volumes had been running at about 330 kilograms until recently but had been roughly halved to 150 to 160 kilograms, and expected that level to persist for some time.
Top-grade mushrooms accounted for only 2.57 kilograms, or about 1.6% of the day's total auction volume. With shipments down and demand for the highest grade continuing, the limited supply drew high prices.
Cumulative auction volume for Yangyang pine mushrooms stood at 3,517.14 kilograms as of that day. That is about 59.8% of last year's full-season total of 5,885 kilograms, brought to market roughly two weeks into this year's auctions.
Yangyang pine mushrooms were registered in 2006 as the first forest product under the Korea Forest Service's geographical indication system. Yangyang will also host the 2026 Yangyang Pine Mushroom Festival from the 16th to the 18th of this month along the Namdaecheon riverside and the multipurpose plaza area.
