Ripe peaches · Photo: Jack Dykinga, USDA / Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
KoreaSejongJochiwon Peaches: 118 Years of Peach Growing That Began in a 1908 Trial Orchard
Jochiwon-eup, in the north of Sejong, Korea's administrative capital, is one of the country's best-known peach regions. Here is the history of Jochiwon peaches since a 1908 trial orchard, how peach blossoms inspired local writers, the July peach festival, and how to pick a good one.
Jochiwon, the Old Heart of Sejong
Sejong Special Self-Governing City was launched on 1 July 2012 as a multifunctional administrative city where government ministries are based. Unlike its new town of fresh apartment blocks and government buildings, Jochiwon-eup in the north was the centre of the former Yeongi County and still has an old downtown and a traditional market. Jochiwon has long been a transport hub. The Gyeongbu Line opened in 1905, and in 1921 the Chungbuk Line to Cheongju branched off here, making Jochiwon Station a railway junction. The signature product of this town, where people and goods arrived by train, is the peach, and Jochiwon peaches are always part of any conversation about the flavours of Sejong.
1908: It Began With a Trial Orchard
Jochiwon peaches are said to have first been grown in 1908, so the town now promotes 118 years of history as of 2026. According to an international agricultural trade publication, commercial growing began that year when the Gwoneop Model Farm, the predecessor of the Rural Development Administration, set up a trial orchard in Jochiwon with varieties brought from Japan. Nearby farmers then adopted those varieties, and Jochiwon established itself as a peach region. In old Korean the peach was also called boksa, and its blossoms are still called boksakkot. As orchards spread across Jochiwon's broad fields and low hills, the sight of the whole area turning pink each spring became the town's symbol.
The Literature Born From Peach Blossoms
Jochiwon's peach blossoms have been admired for a long time. A 1985 newspaper article described the orchards around Jochiwon in late April as a vision of Mureung Dowon, the Korean name for the legendary Peach Blossom Spring, an earthly paradise of flowering peach trees. It is a fitting description for the town. Local writers moved by the scenery are said to have founded the literary magazine Baeksu Munhak in 1955, which shows how early Jochiwon peaches became a point of local pride. After the blossoms fall, farmers carry out labour-intensive work such as bagging and thinning the fruit until it ripens, and the reward is the sweet, fragrant peaches of midsummer.
Jochiwon Peaches Today and the July Festival
According to an international agricultural publication, about 600 farms in Jochiwon now produce around 2,000 tonnes of peaches a year. Jochiwon peaches have a reputation for high sugar content and tender flesh, and in summer many people drive to Jochiwon just to buy them. Sejong holds the Jochiwon Peach Festival every midsummer. The 24th festival ran from 24 to 26 July 2026, and the previous year's event was reported to have drawn 130,000 visitors. There are direct sales of peaches from farmers, performances and hands-on activities, and an evening programme where you can enjoy beer with local foods such as Jochiwon padak (scallion fried chicken). As the late-July timing suggests, midsummer is the best time to visit if you want to taste Jochiwon peaches.
How to Choose and Enjoy Them
When choosing peaches, look for even colour right up to the stem, a fruit that feels heavy for its size, and a strong sweet aroma. Pressing hard with your fingers bruises them quickly, so it is polite to choose with your eyes and nose. Whether a peach is firm or soft depends on the variety, so tell the seller which texture you prefer and they will pick suitable ones. Leaving peaches at room temperature for a day or two brings out more aroma, and chilling them in the fridge for an hour or two before eating makes the sweetness stand out. You can buy them at Sejong Traditional Market in Jochiwon-eup, local cooperative shops and the farmers' stalls during the festival. Peaches bruise easily, so if you are travelling, buy only what you will eat each day rather than a large box.