Korea’s Modern Tastes in Tea

By Jane Pettigrew 

The international tea symposium held in Seoul last year was part of a concerted effort to co-ordinate three aspects of South Korean tea – tea education, tea culture and tea production. By bringing together key people from those different areas of work, a new awareness and focus on tea is becoming evident in the country; tea consumption is increasing, more and more ordinary citizens are interested in learning about tea and many are involving themselves in the international world of tea. At the conference, as well as presentations given by specialists from outside the country, eminent Korean speakers also gave an insight into the way in which tea education is gaining momentum in South Korea. And in the days following the conference, as delegates traveled around Korea to visit the two major tea growing regions of Boseong and Hadong, their guide and tea mentor president Lee (president of the Tea Association) explained further how tea now holds an important place in Korean society.