A Green Gambit from the Rural Development Administration in a Pear Market 85% Dominated by “Niitaka”… the Early-Maturing Green Pear “Seolwon”

One variety accounts for around 85% of South Korea’s pear cultivation area. It is “Niitaka,” bred in Japan in 1927 and introduced during the Japanese colonial period. In fact, according to the December issue of the Korea Rural Economic Institute’s Agricultural Outlook (Fruit), Niitaka accounted for 85.4% of pear cultivation area by variety in 2025. The shares of domestically bred varieties Wonhwang (5.0%) and Shinhwa (4.6%) each remain at around 5%. Even all the remaining varieties combined account for only about 5%. Niitaka has supported the pear industry for more than half a century thanks to its excellent storability and marketability, but in the meantime the market has become fixed around large fruit for holiday gifts. As consumption trends shifted toward fruit that is good for everyday eating, pears became confined to ancestral rites tables and gift sets.

Attention is focused on whether the green pear “Seolwon” introduced by the Pear Research Center of the National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science under the Rural Development Administration can shake up this structure. As its name suggests, meaning the flesh is as white as snow, its skin is greenish-yellow and its inside is close to white. The fact that consumers can recognize it on store shelves as “a pear different from existing pears” is the starting point of this variety.

Seolwon has high sweetness of 14 Brix or more… high firmness gives it an advantage in distribution
“Seolwon” was applied for as a variety in 2011 and registered in 2013 (Plant Variety Protection Right Registration No. 4457). It is an early-maturing variety harvested from late August to early September in Naju, South Jeolla Province, and according to the Rural Development Administration, Seolwon’s average fruit weight is around 600 g, with a standard sugar content of 14 Brix or higher. Researcher Jung Hae-won, who is in charge of pear breeding, introduced it by saying, “With Niitaka, consumers feel it is very sweet even at just 12 Brix. Seolwon as a variety is basically 13-14 Brix.”

Sweetness is not everything. Seolwon’s average firmness is 43.2 N, about 1.5 times higher than Niitaka’s, so its crisp texture lasts longer, and it is resistant to bruising, making it advantageous for large-scale distribution. It has a low content of browning enzymes, so even when peeled, its color does not change easily. Researcher Jung explained, “Niitaka turns brown in a day or two, but Seolwon shows no major change even if left for a week.” It can be stored for 30 days at room temperature and for more than three months in cold storage.

90% of wholesale distributors rated it “excellent” or better in marketability evaluation
The market’s assessment has already been tested once. In a marketability evaluation conducted by the Rural Development Administration on September 8 last year with 21 wholesale distributors in a meeting room at Seoul Central Fruit & Vegetable Market, Seolwon received 20% “very excellent” and 70% “excellent” in the overall evaluation, with 90% of respondents giving it an excellent-or-higher rating. In particular, sweetness (60% very excellent, 40% excellent) and texture (40% very excellent, 60% excellent) received 100% excellent or higher, and 90% also responded positively to the question of whether it has product value differentiated from Niitaka. Its biggest advantages were high sweetness (37%) and crisp texture (26%), which together accounted for nearly two-thirds.

Participants in the discussion that day assessed that “it is sufficiently competitive for fresh consumption, and because it does not brown, it is suitable for cut fruit or as a dessert in restaurants.” Department stores seeking differentiated products and younger consumers were identified as key targets. Prices for Seolwon and Niitaka have already diverged. According to researcher Jung, Seolwon trades at around 10,000-15,000 won per kg, while Niitaka is at the 6,000-7,000 won level.

Remaining challenges are skin color, yield, and supply stability
Seolwon’s weakness is its skin. Skin color was the only category with 0% “excellent” responses. With 70% rating it average and 30% poor, this means the corking of the green skin still feels unfamiliar by the wholesale market’s usual standards. However, intermediate wholesalers said, “Because both taste and firmness are excellent, the corking will not be a major problem,” and did not view it as an obstacle to trading; there was also advice that “if positioned as a selling point, it could instead become competitive.”

Yield and supply stability are key. Seolwon’s production per 10 a is about 80% that of Niitaka, a high-yielding variety. Whether its high unit price can offset the reduced yield will be the actual criterion for farmers. If Niitaka’s yield per 10 a is set at about 2,100 kg (2025 pear production, Statistics Korea), Seolwon’s is about 1,680 kg, 80% of that. Niitaka’s gross revenue at 6,500 won per kg is 13.65 million won. Seolwon’s gross revenue, depending on a unit price of 10,000-15,000 won, is 16.8 million-25.2 million won, 23-85% more than Niitaka. At the midpoint of 12,500 won, that is about 54% more. However, this is based on gross revenue, so it does not reflect the cost of replacing seedlings or the period until trees reach maturity.

Regarding competitiveness during the peak Chuseok season, it was pointed out that “Niitaka has already secured stable shipments and consistent quality, so it is very important for Seolwon to also establish a stable supply system.” MDs (merchandisers) who participated in the retail distributor marketability evaluation on October 28 last year suggested positioning it as a dessert rather than for ancestral rites, saying, “Customers who have tried it once are likely to repurchase, but the high price is an obstacle.”

Flowering is late and harvest is early
In production fields, Seolwon’s most practical advantage is timing. In terms of flowering time, Seolwon is about 5-7 days later than Naju, allowing it to avoid the spring low-temperature period by a time lag. In the past, low-temperature phenomena occurred until early March. Recently, however, they have appeared even in late March to early April when pear blossoms bloom, and warming has also advanced flowering, leading to a sharp increase in damage, so this is not insignificant.

Harvest, on the other hand, is early. It was picked in Naju on August 27 last year, and this year it is also expected to be between the fourth week of August and the first week of September. Researcher Jung said, “Compared with Niitaka that has not been treated with gibberellin, which is used to advance harvest timing due to the impact of an early Chuseok, being harvested only in the third week of September, Seolwon’s harvest timing is about three weeks earlier.” In years when Chuseok comes early, growers do not have to force unripe pears onto the market.

Cultivation area is 10 ha… targeting 40 ha by 2030 and even exports
The current cultivation area of Seolwon is just over 10 ha, about 0.1% of the national pear cultivation area of 9,316 ha (Rural Development Administration). The Rural Development Administration believes that distribution at the individual farm level has limits in securing volume and raising awareness, and has begun creating specialized production complexes involving local governments and professional distribution organizations. It signed an agreement with Ulsan City last year and with Naju City on August 13 this year, with the goal of distributing 10 ha in Ulsan by 2029 and 30 ha in Naju by 2030.

Exports are also in view. This is because its high firmness is advantageous for long-distance distribution. Naju City has added Seolwon to its market certification system items, which check whether gibberellin has been applied and whether quality standards are met from the cultivation stage, and the Naju Pear Horticultural Cooperative has decided to allocate part of Seolwon production to exports. Researcher Jung said, “Once a certain volume starts to come out through the creation of production complexes and other efforts, consumers will be able to taste it, and if the response is good there, we can move on to the next stage.”