▲ Haedong Hwacheon Wasong Agricultural Corporation / CEO Lee Gwang-ja

Wasong (orostachys malacophyllus) normally grows on tiled roofs and rocks. Ancient Chinese medical book <Compendium of Materia Medica> records wasong is a mysterious herb. Wasong is widely known among people that it is good for malignant tumor and boosting immune system. 

Haedong Hwacheon Wasong Agricultural Corporation is the only one that grows native wasong that has 1,500 years of residency in the Korean land. Naturally, they are mostly found on tiled roofs of more than 100 year old houses. For this reason, the wasong grown by the corporation is received more valuable than gold for some people.

CEO Lee Gwang-ja grows this native wasong on a 39,669 square meter farm, the biggest in size among competitors. Native wasong is blackish and very small. Medicinal effect is known to be the best among 6 to 7 similar kinds. It takes 2 years to fully grow while hybrids take only 6 months. 

Lee suffered from terminal cancer and sentenced for 3 months living. He went to her husband's hometown Hwacheon County, Gangwon Province. She heard about medicinal effect of wasong from a monk at Haedong Temple and traveled all over the country to find it. She then remembered wasong growing on the tiled roof of the old house she lived once. She got hold of it and miraculously it cured her terminal cancer.

Native wasong vinegar

She made this native wasong into wasong vinegar for easy take. According to Lee, native wasong vinegar is good for malignant tumor and it helps improve diabetes, diet, indigestion, swelling, respiratory diseases, althlete's foot, shingles and numbness on hands and foot. 

The vinegar listed its name in the Foods of PyeongChang 2018 and received the iTQi Golden Star from the International Food and Beverage Testing Institute. It also won the Best Palate at an international food and beverage show held in Brussels. It was the first case among South Korean companies.

As a result, native wasong vinegar is sold overseas including Russia, Japan, Vietnam and the US as 'Lee Gwang Ja Vinegar'. You just pour the vinegar into a whisky shot glass to take after a meal. You can also add water. Normal people are advised to take one time a day and patients 3 to 4 times. 

It takes 2 years to grow native wasong and 2 more years to ripen and one more year to ferment. Thus born was 'Lee Gwang Ja Vinegar'. The vinegar has 98% internal resorption rate. In other words, it surpasses western balsamic vinegar of black vinegar.