Making of the “Pristine Vegetables”: Soil-Transmitted Parasites and U.S. Military Procurement in Korea

Abstract

In the twenty-first century Korea, “Pristine Vegetables(청정채소, 淸淨菜蔬)” refers to organic products grown without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. However, the meaning of “Pristine” was radically different until 1970s. After the Korean War, the infection rate of intestinal parasite reached almost 100 percent in Korean population. Disruption in chemical fertilizers manufacturing pressured farmers to use night-soil, which was contaminated with parasite eggs, causing the vicious cycle of infection. At the same time, rapid urbanization increased the demands of fresh vegetables in the city, leading to a large amount of semi-urban agricultural practices. This was closely linked with the national economy; as most of Korean vegetable products were contaminated with parasites, they were deemed unsuitable for export. In 1957, US Army stationed in Seoul issued a guideline for producing local vegetables acceptable for US troop consumption. This gave rise to the concept of “Pristine Vegetables” that were free of any infectious materials. These practices continued well into the 1970s. Due to the lack of sewage treatment system, the waste of urban population provided necessary fertilizer for these farmers without much cost. In order to secure public health, the Korean government actively encouraged the use of chemical fertilizers, naming the vegetables “Pristine.” This effort included the ban of night-soil in urban and semi-urban farms and the establishment of Pristine Vegetable Shops. However, the rapid decline of parasitic diseases in the population and the rising concerns of environmental pollutions reshaped Pristine Vegetables from chemical to organic in the 1980s. Thus, Pristine Vegetable in Korea during late twentieth century exemplifies rapid transformation of the urban environment, showing shifted concept of cleanness and contaminants among the public and policymakers, as well as acceptable risk of the urban environment in Korea.