PINE MUSHROOM FARMERS LEFT IN DESPAIR

[Anchor Lead]

Uljin, which was hit by a recent wildfire, is one of the largest producers of pine mushrooms in Korea. Some 350 farmers are left helpless, as a large portion of the pinewoods where the mushrooms grow were consumed by the fire. They are also not eligible for restoration aid.

[Pkg]

Cho Ki-ho has been farming pine mushrooms for 40 years with his wife. He lost his house during the latest wildfire, but more frustrating was the destruction of the pinewoods where mushrooms were growing.

[Soundbite] Cho Ki-ho(Mushroom picker) : "It is safe to say we owe our lives to pine mushrooms. All locals, including elderly and weak residents, look forward to fall to find and collect the mushrooms."

By picking pine mushrooms, Cho Young-ho paid college tuition for his three children. He is left in shock following the burnt pinewoods. The 79-year-old farmer feels hopeless as it is impossible for him to find a new job at such an old age.

[Soundbite] Cho Young-ho(Mushroom picker) : "The graves of my father and mother are over there. I cried in front of them. How could a person start a fire to this extent?"

Uljin accounts for ten percent of the nation’s total pine mushroom production. Over 12 tons of pine mushrooms were traded in Uljin last year alone. Of some 500 pine mushroom farmers in the region, 70 percent or about 350 farmers have sustained damage from the wildfires. Nearly 2,000 hectares of pine mushroom fields were destroyed. However, there is no way for them to receive compensation.

[Soundbite] Park Jae-yong(Uljin-gun County Office) : "Pine mushrooms are not farmed. They grow naturally. So mushroom pickers are not eligible for government aid."

It will take as long as 30 years for the burnt pinewoods to grow again. Pine mushroom farmers are left devastated over the loss of their homes as well as their means to make a living.