On August 27, a visit to the KGC's Wonju factory revealed a bustling production line. Dressed in sanitary caps and clean suits, the first sight was the machines operating continuously. Pouches of red ginseng moved fluidly along the conveyor belt, while robots with multiple arms swiftly picked them up and placed them into boxes.
With Chuseok just over a month away, the Wonju factory was in full swing to meet holiday demand. KGC's sales during major gift seasons, including Chuseok, Seollal (Lunar New Year), and May's Family Month, account for more than half of its annual revenue. To ensure a steady supply, the factory's total production for this Chuseok season has increased by 18.3% compared to normal levels, with production of its flagship products, Everytime and Hong Sam Ton, rising by 49.3%. This translates to approximately 6.07 million more pouches produced compared to last year's Chuseok season.
In response to the increased production, the factory's operating hours have also extended. Stick fillers run for 22 hours a day, excluding cleaning and maintenance. Some processes are now operating on a two or three-shift basis. KGC's Wonju factory manager, Choi Jae-hwan, stated, "When production plans increase, we switch processes from two shifts to three and run the machines at full capacity. Currently, the production line is operating at maximum efficiency."
The Wonju factory, established in 2015, is a key production hub for KGC's stick and pouch products. Spanning 186,962 square meters with a total floor area of 75,548 square meters, it is the largest single-source red ginseng manufacturing facility in the world. The factory can produce up to 200 million pouches of products like Hong Sam Ton and 80 million sticks of Everytime annually, with around 83 different products, including Everytime, Hong Sam Ton, and Cheonnok Ton, manufactured on-site.
The production process begins with the handling of fresh ginseng. After being harvested, the ginseng is sorted by size and grade, followed by a primary wash using water's rotational force. High-pressure water sprays from above and below remove any remaining soil and impurities. The cleaned ginseng is then steamed and air-dried to become red ginseng.
KGC uses 100% contract-farmed ginseng. The soil is managed for about two years before planting, followed by six years of cultivation. Fresh ginseng is brought to the Wonju factory from late August to early November each year. As the peak processing period approaches, the washing and steaming processes were relatively quiet during the visit. However, moving to the filling and packaging area, the atmosphere shifted noticeably with the sounds of machines operating continuously.
After drying, the red ginseng is cut into small pieces and extracted for about 72 hours, followed by cooling, centrifugation, and concentration to create red ginseng extract. This extract is then combined with other ingredients and sent to the filling line. As long film enters the machine, it is shaped into pouches, and the mixture is injected sequentially.
In the inspection line, a vision inspection device scans each product for defects. Utilizing AI deep learning technology, the equipment detects leaks or visual abnormalities. Any problematic products are immediately removed from the production line.
Products that pass inspection undergo weight verification and sterilization before heading to the Delta robot. With multiple slender arms, the robot swiftly picks pouches from the conveyor, placing ten at a time into designated areas. If the front robot misses a product, the back robot fills the gap. This process, which previously required about 20 workers, is now handled by a single Delta robot capable of packaging up to 42,500 pouches per hour. The entire Wonju factory can produce up to 1.3 million pouches daily, with very few visible workers on the floor compared to the machines.
Once packaged, the boxes travel along the conveyor to the logistics warehouse, where product stacking and shipping are also automated. A factory representative noted, "Products are stacked up to the height of a ten-story apartment. By simply entering a number, the stacker crane moves to the designated location to retrieve and transport the products."
Even with reduced human involvement in the automated processes, quality control remains stringent. The Wonju factory was the first in the health supplement industry to receive Smart HACCP certification in 2022 and obtained Smart GMP certification for automatic management of raw material weighing in 2024. Last year, it was recognized as a '2025 HACCP Excellent Business' by the Korea Food Safety Management Certification Agency.
Choi emphasized, "The strengths of the Wonju factory lie in its quality control system, production facilities, and scale. We take pride in having world-class production equipment and capacity."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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