Now it’s time to take a close look at a small but competitive business making a difference for the Korean economy. The Korea International Fishing Show was held at KINTEX in Ilsan, Gyeonggido Province for three days starting March 10. During what was the largest event yet, more than 600 booths were set up by over 200 companies, visited by a total of 40,032 visitors. It was more than enough to show the potential of the country’s fishing industry worth up to 8 trillion won. For the next two weeks, we’ll get a closer look at a couple of the leaders of the Korean fishing industry. First up is Chunryu (천류), a company touted as the pride of the Korean-made fishing rods. Here’s Chunryu’s CEO Kang Bong-ryeol (강봉렬).

Our company celebrates the 30th anniversary of its founding this year. Since the company was first founded, we mostly made freshwater fishing rods. Freshwater fishing rods are basically made for carp fishing. Because we concentrated mostly on carp fishing, we’ve accumulated much knowhow on the making of freshwater fishing rods. One of the company’s biggest hits in the domestic market is a fishing rod called Sulwhasu (설화수). We were able to dominate the domestic market because the Sulwhasu fishing rod’s design and performance are unrivaled by those of any other fishing rods made by other companies.

Founded in the late 80s, fishing rod maker Chunryu specializes in freshwater fishing rods. Its fishing rods are said to be made through 99 different steps. After pouring all its efforts into the making of fishing rods the company’s hard work began to be noticed in 2004, with the release of the freshwater fishing rod dubbed Sulwhasu.



Conventional fishing rods are simply made of carbon, which is then painted over. Our fishing rods, on the other hand, have added materials such as carbon yarn, which help make the rod firmer and more flexible but stronger. We also added images on the surface of the rod. This stood out, because it was unprecedented. It’s an image of apricot blossoms, and I believe people saw it as a convergence of art and a simple fishing tool. It was an enormous hit when it was first rolled out. Our production capacity only allowed us to make 2,000 rods a month, but it was so popular that the demand far exceeded the supply.

Carbon fishing rods are flexible, light and hard. It’s sensitive and easy to handle, but its drawback is that it breaks easily. In order to overcome this shortcoming, Chunryu used various materials with diverse characteristics and fixed the design countless times to create a stronger but flexible, light freshwater fishing rod. In fact, Sulwhasu is made mainly of carbon, coated with high-strength carbon, and once again fortified with high-density compression. It responds very swiftly to the hookset, which involves quick movements to pull back the rod when the fish bite. Made by using 3D computer programs, the rod is equipped with flexibility, smooth bending balance, and a strong mid-section that allows the users to catch a fish with more ease. Also, the image added to the surface of the rod was the first in the industry. The unique design helped Sulwhasu rapidly gain a reputation as a high-class fishing rod that’s overcome the limits of conventional carp fishing rods. The response was explosive.
Chunryu may have created the fishing rod all recreational fishermen had dreamed of, but the company’s CEO Kang is not a fisherman himself.

I don’t know how to fish. I don’t go fishing because if I learn to be good, I’m afraid I will stop listening to the customers’ advice and only do things my own way. I imagine that if I were a good fisherman, if a customer makes a suggestion, I might think to myself that it’s not a fault of the product, but rather the customer’s lack of skills. So I stay away from fishing in order to understand the customers better and also to make sure that I listen to their advices. Because I don’t know how to fish, I am able to accept and cherish all advices by anyone, and believe that they are correct.

Kang says he purposely stays away from fishing in order to keep his ears and mind open to the customers’ voices. Kang started working on fishing rod production since his freshman year in college. With some 40 years of experience, Kang is a true fishing rod expert and master.



Because I’ve been a part of this industry for 40 years, I’ve got lots of data and patents. For example, most fishing rods did not have the metal ring at the end. We were the first company to attach the metal ring. The reason we used the ring is because without it, regular fishing rods often spilt at the end. But the ring is able to help cushion the impacts of a big fish. We also have a patent for the mixture of materials we use in parts of the fishing rod.

Chunryu strives to create the best fishing condition. Adding a metal ring at the handle of the rod is an example of such efforts. In addition to patented technology, the company is also drawing attention for relying entirely on domestically produced parts, no matter how small, and also using only the original technology for all the steps of production.
Meanwhile, Chunryu is now also drawing attention with its angling products.

Until recently, most angling rods were brought in from Japan. Our product named Sinchunong (신천옹) quickly became a bigger hit than the Japanese rod. It firmly withstands the resistance by the fish, and its other elements such as flexibility, parts, and the reel all fit together very well. Eventually our fishing rods replaced a famous Japanese fishing rod worth 1.8 million won, at one-third of the price. We are confident that we are the best fishing rod maker in the country.

Korea began exporting fishing paraphernalia overseas in the 1970s. At one point, fishing tackles made in Korea accounted for about 35% of the entire global market. In order to bring back the name, Chunryu is adding more technology, lowing prices and eliminating foreign parts. Hopes are high that this company and its efforts would lead the second wind of the Korean fishing industry.