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| yna@yna.co.kr 2024-08-30 14:56:16
Editor's Note: According to the Korea Foundation's 2024 report, there are nearly 225 million Hallyu (Korean Wave) fans worldwide. With the advent of the "Digital Silk Road," transcending time and space, we are entering the era of "Hallyu 4.0." To help readers gain a fresh perspective on Korean culture and K-culture, the Yonhap News K-Culture Team has prepared a series of expert columns.
Shin Jong-geun's 'K-Liqueur' Story: Nokdu General and Jukryeokgo
Contributed by Shin Jong-geun, exhibition planner and columnist (author of "Art and Liquor")
In 1937, Choi Nam-seon, a prominent scholar, published a series of 160 articles titled "Joseon Common Knowledge" in the Maeil Sinbo newspaper, which were later compiled into a book after the liberation, called Joseon Common Knowledge Q&A. In this work, he listed Jukryeokgo as one of the three finest traditional liquors of Korea, alongside Igangju and Gamhongro.
Jukryeokgo was originally a traditional liquor brewed in various parts of the Jeolla Province, but its production ceased during the Japanese occupation. Fortunately, the secret recipe for making Jukryeokgo has been preserved by the maternal grandfather of Master Brewer Song Myung-seop, who currently produces it.
Master Song's maternal grandfather, who ran a traditional herbal medicine shop, originally brewed Jukryeokgo for medicinal purposes. This recipe was passed down to Song’s mother, who married into a brewing family, and then to Song himself. Song began producing Jukryeokgo in 2000. He has since been recognized as the 48th Food Master of Korea and as the holder of Jeonbuk Intangible Cultural Property No. 6-3. Master Song is also well-known for his Song Myung-seop Makgeolli.
◇The Last Drink of General Nokdu
Jukryeokgo is traditionally made using bamboo extract, but due to the difficulty of extracting the bamboo essence, it is now only produced in small quantities in Jeongeup, Jeollabuk-do. Master Song openly shares the recipe with those who wish to learn, but many give up due to the complexity of the process.
Bamboo extract, known as jukryeok, is the sap of bamboo, extracted by heating the bamboo, which requires immense effort and is difficult to produce in large quantities. Jukryeok is then distilled with ginger, honey, pine needles, bamboo leaves, acorus, and cinnamon to create Jukryeokgo.
Jukryeok has cooling properties, purifies the blood, removes toxins, and clears blocked blood vessels. It has been used as an emergency medicine for adult diseases since ancient times.
In the famous Korean folktale Chunhyangjeon, the liquor that Chunhyang offers to Yi Mongryong is Jukryeokgo. Scholar Song Si-yeol also praised Jukryeokgo as an unparalleled delicacy in his collected writings, Songjadaejeon.
Gobu, where the Donghak Peasant Revolution began, is now part of Jeongeup in Jeollabuk-do. It is said that after Jeon Bong-jun, known as General Nokdu, led the Donghak Peasant Revolution in 1894 and was captured by Japanese forces in Sunchang, Jeollabuk-do in December of that same year, he drank Jukryeokgo to recover his energy after enduring severe torture.
Hwang Hyeon (1855–1910), a historian, wrote in his anthology Ohagimun that Jeon Bong-jun regained his strength after drinking Jukryeokgo and stood upright as he was escorted to Seoul. Jeon Bong-jun was executed by hanging in April 1895, after being sent to Seoul in February.
Painter Park Saeng-gwang (1904–1985) depicted the scene of Jeon Bong-jun’s escort in a painting he created the year of his death. The painting prominently features Jeon Bong-jun’s determined eyes in the center, surrounded by weeping peasants and startled government troops.
Park, who graduated from Jinju Agricultural High School in Gyeongsangnam-do, later studied in Japan at Kyoto City School of Fine Arts (now Kyoto University of the Arts), where he learned traditional Japanese painting techniques. Although recognized in exhibitions such as the Joseon Art Exhibition and the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition, his use of Japanese techniques caused him to be overlooked after Korea’s liberation. However, in his later years, Park shed the stigma of Japanese influence and opened new horizons in Korean national painting, earning recognition for his work. In 1985, the year of his death, Park was specially invited to exhibit at the Grand Palais Salon in Paris.
"Jeon Bong-jun" is a large-scale work, measuring 510 cm in width and 360 cm in height, painted by Park in a small room in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, as he prepared for a retrospective exhibition. According to Yoon Bum-mo, the director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, who visited Park's studio several times, "The work couldn’t be fully spread out at once, so he rolled the paper, unfolding and painting one side while pushing the other. The artist saw the entire work for the first time only after it was displayed at the exhibition."
◇ The Legacy of Jukryeokgo
In honor of Jeon Bong-jun, a special liquor is produced in Gobu-myeon, Jeongeup, Jeollabuk-do. This spirit, called "1894 Revolution," is distilled from fermented oats, which are a local specialty of Jeongeup and recognized as one of the world's top 10 superfoods. The liquor is produced by the agricultural corporation Gwirigwiin and carries the subtitle "Donghak Peasant Revolution Fine Liquor."
Aside from Master Song Myung-seop, there are two other places currently producing and selling Jukryeokgo.
One such producer is Master Yang Dae-su, the 22nd Food Master of Korea, who operates a brewery called Chuseong Village in Damyang, Jeollanam-do—a region synonymous with bamboo.
Driven by the belief that Jukryeokgo should be brewed in the homeland of bamboo, Master Yang has worked to create a cleaner and purer version of the traditional liquor. He patented a device for extracting clear jukryeok, the essence of bamboo, and uses this extract along with ginger, acorus, and cinnamon to produce Damyang Jukryeokgo.
Chuseong Village also produces other traditional liquors, including Daeyeopju, made from bamboo leaves, and Chuseongju, a traditional folk liquor from Damyang. The brewery, which has been in the same family for five generations, is now managed by Master Yang and his successor, Yang Jae-chang.
Another producer of Jukryeokgo is Taepyeongju-ga, led by CEO Lee Young-chun. This brewery uses jukryeok extracted from wild bamboo grown in the highlands of Jinan, Jeollabuk-do, to craft its version of the liquor.
Undoubtedly, Jukryeokgo is a precious cultural heritage that has been preserved through the dedication of various masters during the turbulent times of late Joseon.
Some may argue that no alcohol can truly be beneficial to health.
But as a medicinal liquor, Jukryeokgo is certainly an exception. Of course, as with all things, moderation is key.
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