Gyeongju Mayor Ju Nak-young drives a combine harvester during the city's first rice-harvesting event of 2026 in the Seoakdong area on Monday. [Gyeongju City]
Gyeongju Mayor Ju Nak-young drives a combine harvester during the city's first rice-harvesting event of 2026 in the Seoakdong area on Monday. [Gyeongju City]

Gyeongju city in North Gyeongsang Province held its first rice-harvesting event of 2026 on Monday in the Seoakdong area, organized by the Gyeongju Agricultural Cooperative's Special Rice Farmers Association. The rice harvested was Haedambyeo, an early-ripening variety planted on April 21 and brought to its first harvest roughly four months later. Mayor Ju Nak-young thanked farmers for their efforts to produce high-quality rice through the summer heat. He pledged to strengthen the city's production base and expand marketing channels to ease the financial burden on farming households and boost the competitiveness of Gyeongju rice.


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