지리산 해발 800m에서 천종산삼 11뿌리…감정가 1억2000만원

Translation

According to an association of traditional wild-ginseng gatherers on the 7th, a gatherer in his or her fifties dug up eleven roots of 천종산삼 at a spot 800 m above sea level on the slopes of 지리산, linked to the 오도재 pass in 함양군, 경남. 천종산삼 means wild ginseng that has grown for more than 50 years, generation after generation, in a natural state deep in mountains untouched by human hands. These plants were confirmed to be a family group in which mother plants and baby plants had grown together across five generations. The oldest mother plant is estimated to be about 100 years old, and even the youngest baby plant at least 20. The eleven roots weigh 76 g in total, and their appraised value is 120 million won. The head of the association said it was a precious find made in a summer when heavy rain and heat had made conditions on the mountain very bad.