Horticulture professor breeds new white rose and names it in honor of comfort women

Posted on : 2019-11-12 16:13 KST Modified on : 2019-11-12 16:15 KST
Han Tae-ho leads projects for young entrepreneurs in agriculture
The “Sonyeo” flower developed by Han Tae-ho, professor of horticulture and bioengineering at Chonnam National University. (provided by Han Tae-ho)
The “Sonyeo” flower developed by Han Tae-ho, professor of horticulture and bioengineering at Chonnam National University. (provided by Han Tae-ho)

“We’re assigning names to flowers and dedicating them to events and people that our society needs to remember.”

Han Tae-ho, a professor of horticulture and bioengineering at Chonnam National University, recently dedicated a new variety of rose titled “Sonyeo” (“Girl”) to the “comfort women” drafted as sexual slaves to the Japanese military.

“This newly bred white rose was similar to the lives of those women,” said Han, 50.

The “Sonyeo” variety of white rose developed by Han was planted on Oct. 26 in the Peace Rose Garden at the House of Sharing in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

“Unlike other roses, ‘Sonyeo’ dries white after its petals fall. It is frail but has a pleasant fullness,” he explained. “We dedicated it [to the survivors] because the way they have lived their lives with a pure energy and led the way in uncovering the truth is similar to the impression left by this flower.”

Han Tae-ho, professor of horticulture and bioengineering at Chonnam National University, plants a “Sonyeo” flower in the Peace Rose Garden at the House of Sharing on Oct. 26. (provided by Han Tae-ho)
Han Tae-ho, professor of horticulture and bioengineering at Chonnam National University, plants a “Sonyeo” flower in the Peace Rose Garden at the House of Sharing on Oct. 26. (provided by Han Tae-ho)

In early October, “Sonyeo” was submitted to the Korea Seed and Variety Service (KSVC) as a new variety. The creation of the Peace Rose Garden began with an idea from the Korea Rose Society. The society, which is chaired by Kim Wook-gyun and counts Han and around 30 other South Korean rose lovers among its members, received approval for its proposal last year to dedicate a new variety of rose to the House of Sharing.

“I hope it provides some minor consolation to the women [survivors]. The garden is all the more meaningful in having been crowdfunded through social networking services by members of the public who support the project,” Han said.

Han is an authority in the field of privately developed plant varieties. To date, he has developed and patented 47 varieties of rose, nine varieties of hydrangea, and nine varieties of Alstroemeria. Possessing a doctoral degree in breeding science from Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands -- a hub of the global flower industry -- Han explained, “In Europe, strongly autonomous family businesses earn robust profits from breeding new varieties of flowers.”

“We need institutional support in South Korea as well so that we can have more private sector advancement into the flower breeding industry,” he stressed.

Han is also a wholehearted supporter of young people starting their own farming businesses.

“Three or four of the students who majored in agricultural entrepreneurship specialization ended up moving to farming communities and taking up horticulture,” said Han, who chairs a “smart agricultural entrepreneurship specialization project team” established at Chonnam National University four years ago.

Young entrepreneurs who have started businesses under the “smart agricultural entrepreneurship specialization project team” at Chonnam National University (provided by Han Tae-ho)
Young entrepreneurs who have started businesses under the “smart agricultural entrepreneurship specialization project team” at Chonnam National University (provided by Han Tae-ho)

Han also has a YouTube channel titled “Aljangsu” (an abbreviation of the Korean names for “Alstroemeria,” “rose,” and “hydrangea”), having studied filming and editing technology on his own for around two years in order to establish markets for farm items produced by his students. He recently posted a video of himself tasting a melon produced by a student who has settled as a young farmer in Naju.

“Graduate Ban Seo-jin now has a new life as a young farmer. I hope all of you will support young farmers,” he said.

By Jung Dae-ha, Gwangju correspondent

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]

button that move to original korean article (클릭시 원문으로 이동하는 버튼)

Related stories