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The Master of a Farm Who Became the King of the Rice Production Increase with Tongil rice

“The King of Gold”, Mr. Lee, Kwan-sub

Tongil rice made a food self-sufficiency country

Rice is a staple of Korean people, but the people had suffered from poverty until the 1970s due to the scarcity of rice production. Since 1976, white rice - which is only eaten for a special occasion such as birthday or holiday - has become regular, thanks to Tongil rice, which was developed by Dr. Heo, Mun-hoe. Compared to traditional rice, Tongil rice is shorter, thicker, and has a bigger stem and ear, which means a larger amount of cereal.

Since 1972, when Saemaul Undong fired up the nation, the government had supplied Tongil rice as a part of Income Generation Project of farmers. As a result, Korea was able to supply their food by themselves. Before the improvement of new species, Tongil rice was the major factor to achieve Saemaul's success at that time. At the forefront there were the key contributors to the rice production increase of the 1970s.

"The reason to save money is to spend as much as possible when we need to for the most righteous things."

Old working clothes enshrined deep inside a wardrobe

being sewed up several times - is the evidence of a life in the fast lane and would be a legacy for descendants. A man, who is one of the richest men in a town but is not ashamed of his shabby attire. A man who picks up a grain of rice that has fallen on the road while supporting a scholarship for an underprivileged youth. He is Lee Kwan-sub, who won the title of the king of the rice production increase in 1977.

"What a fool you are! Why are you selling pigs while raising pigs is lucrative? "

"I will succeed in farming. You’ll see.”

"For the next 10 years, I’m going to tighten my belt. Just ten years."

Born in Seoksan-ri, Yul-myeon, Gyeonggi-do, he was the young breadwinner for his mother and sister's livelihood. After graduating from middle school, he worked as a housekeeper, a sock seller, and a firewood seller. He worked as a tenanted farmer for 3 years. Though it was an extremely burdensome experience, he achieved the gratitude of the land that gave him a reward as many of his endeavors built his strength to endure the pain.

After being discharged from the army in 1968,

he reclaimed some land alongside an abandoned creek. It was sandy but after eliminating reeds and pouring compost, the planted peanuts kept growing well. He divided the land into fertile, barren, and sandy areas and planted peppers, mulberries and peanuts. He had a rich harvest. Then he bought eight patches of rice paddy, with the money from selling pigs. Lee placed his land document with food for ancestors and bowed.

"It's strange, my farm is right next to his, but he harvests much more than me."

"I doubt if he has stolen some crops from my farm."

"Man, he must not have done such a thing. He is an honest man."

Selling crops and expanding his farm were Mr. Lee’s sole comfort and only way of being a good son. His neighbors thought it was odd that Lee had much bigger rice eyes and he harvested a much bigger amount of rice. You reap what you sow. His farming was good because he wrote farming diaries daily and applied farming knowledge he learned through rural guidance institutes, newspapers and radios.

Icheon-gun Produced an Unprecedented Amount of Rice Yields through the Farming Tongil rice (Saemaul Illustration Books, 1975),

And he had made up his mind. "I will not touch alcohol, tobacco, or gambling, I will not hand over poorness to my descendants. I will not marry until I achieve my goal. I will buy land for rice fields and to cover living expenses. I will wear my clothes until I cannot wear them any longer, I will not keep secrets from my family."

"Look at you. You do not even know what Saemaul Undong is."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Saemaul Undong is to pave the road."

"Haha, that's right, but that is not the only reason.”

In 1972, when the Saemaul Undong became popular, he encouraged the residents to plant Tongil rice, which would lead to a bigger harvest. The neighbors couldn’t understand why he urged them to replace the original rice and refused. He was the only one to substitute the original rice for Tongil rice.

[Book] “The King of Gold”:

The next year, after showing that his rice yields were superior to others, the neighbors started to plant Tongil rice. The residents recognized him as a master of farming and selected him as the Saemaul leader. However, some of the people who were jealous of him were uncooperative with his environmental improvement project.

How did Mr. Lee solve this problem?