English
North Korea’s Mushroom Research and Mycology Institute
Woo-Sik Jo
Gyeongsangbuk-do Agricultural Research & Extension Services, Daegu 41404, Korea
E-mail : jws67@korea.kr, jws6707@naver.com
To secure research papers related to mushroom research published in North Korean academic journals, the North Korean Science and Technology Network (http://www.nktech.net) was used (KISTI, 2023). Among the journals available, 26 journals (including Light Industry Science, Science Academy Bulletin, Technological Innovation, Basic Medicine, Kim Il-sung University Journal, Kim Chaek University of Technology Journal, Biology, Preventive Medicine, Korean Pharmacy, Korean Medicine, and Juche Medicine) were selected for use, as they were expected to contain papers related to this research topic. Furthermore, the study summarized North Korea’s mycological research institutions, explored possibilities for inter-Korean agricultural cooperation, and identified areas for cooperation between inter-Korean science and technology personnel. A total of 236 studies were conducted by mushroom species, including 42 on pine mushrooms (17.8%), 25 on oyster mushrooms (10.6%), 23 on reishi mushrooms (9.8%), 19 on shiitake mushrooms (8.1%), 17 on button mushrooms (7.2%), 16 on oyster mushrooms (6.8%), 14 on oyster mushrooms (5.9%), and 12 on sang-hwang mushrooms (5.1%). The terminology of the overall North Korean mycology papers was somewhat different from that of South Korea, and some terms not used in South Korea were used, making them difficult to understand. Songi mushrooms have the same names in both South and North Korea, Lingzhi mushrooms are written as Mannyeonbeoseot and Lingji, Shiitake mushrooms as Oak mushrooms, Yangsongi mushrooms as Rice straw mushrooms, Seok-i mushrooms as Stone mushrooms, Giant oyster mushrooms as White club mushrooms. While South Korea uses Chinese characters to write mushroom names, North Korea expresses the morphological characteristics of mushrooms in Hangul. It is thought that the difference in mushroom names in South and North Korea is because the industrial cultivation of major mushrooms began after the liberation and division of the country in 1945. The trend of academic papers published by major crops in North Korea shows that corn was the most studied with 1,272 papers, followed by rice with 642 papers, potato with 611 papers, bean with 461 papers, mushroom with 429 papers, ginseng with 224 papers, barley with 201 papers, apple with 160 papers, cabbage with 149 papers, garlic with 109 papers, wheat with 106 papers, and pepper with 105 papers.
North Korea established scientific and technological institutions the year after liberation, including the Fisheries Research Institute in February 1946, the Central Mining Research Institute, and the National Livestock Hygiene Research Institute in September. In February 1947, the North Korean Central Research Institute was established to comprehensively address scientific and technological issues arising from industrial self-sufficiency. In 1951, during the height of the Korean War, the Ministry of Public Health’s Central Pharmaceutical Research Institute (July 1954), the Korean Microbiological Research Institute (February 1954), the Ministry of Agriculture’s Agricultural Science Research Institute (January 1956), the Ministry of Light Industry’s Central Research Institute (September 1954), and the Ministry of Fisheries’ East Sea Fisheries Research Institute (May 1955), and the West Sea Fisheries Research Institute (March 1955). New developments in the 1990s included the development of fuel resources and the advancement of advanced biology. The quest for a “scientific revolution” in 1994 was transformed into the creation of a science and technology-focused environment in 1999, and the science and technology-focused policy was adopted in 2003. The research organization also comprised 38 direct research institutes and 9 research branches. Recent changes to the names of research organizations include the National Strain Collection (2006) to the National Strain Collection Research Institute (2011), the Computer Science Research Institute to the Information Science and Technology Research Institute (2011.1), and the Mushroom Research Institute to the Central Mushroom Research Institute (2014.1). North Korea’s major mycological research institutions include the National Institute of Strains, the Institute of Microbial Genetic Engineering, the Institute of Microbiology, the Institute of Fermentation, the Institute of Mushroom Research, and university research institutes. The National Institute of Strains was established in April 1967 to collect and preserve microbial genetic resources and is currently located in Science Building 1, Unjong District, Pyongyang. The research organization comprises several laboratories, including those for daily necessities and mycology. Its research areas include the collection, exploration, identification, registration, and classification of economically valuable microorganisms, as well as the biological characteristics of microorganisms, including strains, and the maintenance and improvement of production and strain supply. The Microbiology Research Institute began in September 1962 as the Antibiotics Research Laboratory of the Central Chemical Industry Research Institute of the Ministry of Chemical Industry, following a cabinet decision to produce antibiotics using domestic raw materials. Located in Pyongyang, the research organization comprises several laboratories, including livestock microbiology, daily necessities, environmental microbiology, antibiotics, biologically active substances, Jangmyung Pharmaceuticals, and microbial genes. Joint research is also conducted with Asian countries such as China, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The Fermentation Research Institute was established in February 1962 under the direction of Kim Il-sung during his on-site inspection of the Jang Factory in Oncheon County and is currently located in Songsin 3-dong, Sadong District, Pyongyang. The research organization comprises several laboratories, including Janggi Engineering and Strain Research. The Taedonggang Fruit Complex Factory has also received international quality certification for its fruit liquor production. The Mushroom Research Institute began as a laboratory at the Experimental Biology Research Institute in July 1972 and became affiliated with the Forestry Science Branch in the 1980s, conducting passive research. In the 1990s, when solving the food shortage became a pressing issue, the institute began intensively developing mushroom technology, which was expanded into the Central Mushroom Research Institute of the State Academy of Sciences in 2013. Located in Kangan 1-dong, Songyo District, Pyongyang, the research organization includes laboratories for pine mushrooms, sterilization, cooling, aseptic inoculation, culture, spawn, and analysis.
Kim Il-sung University and Kim Chaek University of Technology, North Korea’s top institutions of higher education, established research institutes in various fields of expertise in accordance with the authorities’ guidelines for encouraging scientific research in universities, in line with the ideology of prioritizing science and technology in the 2000s. Representative central-level research institutes include the University of Science, Pyongyang University of Mechanical Engineering, Pyongyang University of Architecture, Handok University of Light Industry, Hamhung University of Chemical Industry, Hamhung University of Hydraulics and Power, Wonsan Fisheries University, Chongjin University of Mining and Metallurgy, Rajin University of Shipping, and Hyesan University of Agriculture and Forestry.
The following is a list of potential cooperation projects in science and technology human resources that could be pursued if the situation on the Korean Peninsula improves. These areas can be divided into infrastructure and indicators, human resource development, and human resource utilization. First, the basic and indicator fields include the development of North Korea’s science and technology human resources indicators and support for statistical production, transfer of international-level science and technology human resources statistical techniques, exchange and joint publication of academic journals, exchange of science and technology information and partial linkage of information networks, and establishment of science and technology cooperation centers. Second, the human resources development field includes the establishment of human resources exchange plans and fundraising, establishment of education and training centers, dispatch of investigation teams and sisterhood ties between specialized institutions, exchange and training of scientists and engineers, overseas study, cyber education, etc. Lastly, the human resources utilization field includes holding joint academic conferences, promoting joint research, jointly participating in international competitions, and establishing joint research institutes.
References
Lee Chun-geun, Kim Jong-seon, Nam Dal-li. 2016. Analysis of North Korea’s Science and Technology Human Resources and Cooperation Tasks. Science and Technology Policy Institute. pp. 1-143.
Jo Woo-sik. 2023. Analysis of Trends in Mushroom Science Research Published in North Korean Academic Journals (1978-2023). Korean Journal of Fungi. 21(3): 93-100.
Jo Woo-sik. 2025. Trends in Ginseng Research Published in North Korean Academic Journals. Proceedings of the Spring Conference of the Korean Society of Medicinal Crop Science. p. 2.
Choi Hyeon-gyu, Kang Yeong-sil. 2017. Current Status of North Korean Science and Technology Research Institutions. KISTI (Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information, North Korea Science and Technology Network). pp. 1-126.
KISTI. 2010. North Korea’s mushroom research organization and research status. North Korean Science and Technology Research. 8: 335-336.
KISTI. 2023. North Korea science and technology network. Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information. Daejeon, Korea. http://www.nktech.net
▶ 연사소개 : 조우식(曺佑植)
약력 경북대학교 농생물학과 학사 (1992.08)
경북대학교 농생물학과 농학석사 (1998.02)
경북대학교 농생물학과 농학박사 (2006.08)
경북대학교 수의학과 수의학석사(약리학) (2010.02)
경상북도농업기술원 농업연구사 (1994.03~2025.현재)
농촌진흥청 원예연구소 원예환경과 연구원 (1993.03~1994.02)
경북도청 고령군청 산림과 임업기원보 (1992.07~1993.02)
포상 : 제44회 과학의날 국무총리 표창 (2011.04.21.)
한국과학기술단체총연합회 과학기술우수논문상 (2017.07.07)
E-mail : jws67@korea.kr, jws6707@naver.com
