A shipping ceremony for the 2026 Sangju Shinko pear US export is held at the Oeoseo Agricultural Cooperative's APC on Tuesday. [Sangju City]
A shipping ceremony for the 2026 Sangju Shinko pear US export is held at the Oeoseo Agricultural Cooperative's APC on Tuesday. [Sangju City]

Sangju, a city in North Gyeongsang Province, is pushing into the US market on the strength of its locally grown produce.

The city held a shipping ceremony Tuesday at the Oeoseo Agricultural Cooperative's APC, marking the export of 2026-harvest Sangju Shinko pears to the United States. Sangju Mayor Ahn Jae-min attended alongside members of the Sangju City Council, Oeoseo Agricultural Cooperative officials, growers and export company representatives.

The shipment totals 13.6 tons, valued at around 70 million won ($52,900). The pears have maintained steady competitiveness in overseas markets, drawing on their rich juice content, high sugar levels and crisp texture.

The hub of Sangju's pear export operations is the Oeoseo Agricultural Cooperative's US-export pear production complex — one of 13 US-export specialist complexes operating in the pear sector nationwide. The complex plays a central role in raising the quality competitiveness of Sangju pears and driving the expansion of domestic pear exports.

Sangju pears are exported to the United States as well as Taiwan, Vietnam, Canada, the Netherlands and Thailand. The city plans to strengthen its position in existing export markets while opening new overseas channels to boost the competitiveness of its agricultural products abroad.

"I am grateful to the farmers and everyone involved who worked hard to produce high-quality pears and push forward with exports despite difficult conditions in agriculture," Mayor Ahn said. "We will do our utmost to strengthen the export foundation and expand overseas markets so that Sangju pears can earn recognition for their quality in the global market and contribute to higher farm household incomes."


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