Busan is good

Selection of Kim Jeong-yong, CEO of “Woori Tomato Farm,” as the 2025 Master of Agricultural Technology in Korea

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Busan Metropolitan City Agricultural Technology Center (hereafter referred to as the Center) announced that, at the award ceremony for the “2025 Master of Agricultural Technology in Korea,” hosted by the Rural Development Administration yesterday (4th), Kim Jeong-yong, CEO of “Woori Tomato Farm” (located in Daejeo-dong, Gangseo-gu), achieved the distinction of being selected as the Tomato Master in the vegetable category.

The “Master of Agricultural Technology in Korea” is a program hosted by the Rural Development Administration. Individuals are selected from among farmers who have accumulated at least 20 years of farming experience, 15 years or more cultivating the same crop, and have contributed to the advancement of local agriculture through specialized agricultural technologies. One individual is selected per category, including food crops, vegetables, fruits, flowers, and livestock.
A master receives a commemorative plaque, a handprint bronze plate, and a cash prize of 5 million KRW.

Kim Jeong-yong has regarded his tomato cultivation farm as a small experimental laboratory and established six core, field-validated technologies: ▲ securing vigorous plant growth through seedling-raising and tomato leaf-pruning methods ▲ reducing heating costs by establishing variable-temperature management ▲ improving marketable yield through transitioning from commercial seedlings to self-raised seedlings and then to cold-hardened seedlings ▲ systemizing soil management based on soil testing ▲ promoting the use of warmed irrigation water during low-temperature periods ▲ converting to multi-span greenhouses and establishing multi-layer cultivation techniques.

He also published “The Story of Daejeo Tomatoes,” a booklet on producing high-sugar Daejeo tomatoes, and has operated the “Tomato Study Room” since 2012, which has grown into a farmer-led learning network with participation from tomato growers nationwide. He currently serves as an instructor for agricultural training programs offered by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Busan Metropolitan City Agricultural Technology Center, the Gyeongnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services, and other institutions.

In addition, after being designated as an “Agricultural Meister” by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in 2022 (in the tomato category), he has continuously provided consultation (mentoring) to young and successor farmers as part of on-site support teams.

Yoo Mi-bok, Director of the Agricultural Technology Center, stated, “The emergence of a Master of Agricultural Technology in Daejeo, Gangseo-gu, Busan, signifies that the technological capabilities and quality competitiveness built by Busan’s tomato industry are now recognized nationwide. The outstanding agricultural techniques established through Master Kim Jeong-yong’s agricultural philosophy and farming experience will serve as a source of inspiration for young and successor farmers.”