Hadong

Hadong County in South Gyeongsang Province is regarded as the "Holy Land" of Korean tea per the Samguk Sagi — the oldest surviving Korean history. The first green-tea crop was planted here in 828 CE by order of King Heungdeok of Silla, using seeds received from the Tang empire. Hadong's Hwagae area, where the Seomjin River meets the Hwagae Stream, contains wild tea bushes descended from those original plantings — over 1,100 years of continuous cultivation. The traditional "Jeda" method involves handpicking from steep wild slopes around Jirisan and processing in hot cast-iron cauldrons.