Full view of Imsil Cheese theme park

(Copyright: Imsil Cheese theme park) [4]

http://www.cheesepark.kr.

Imsil Cheese theme park is located in Doin-li in Seongsu-myeon, Imsil-gun County,

Jeollabuk-do, which takes up across 130,000 square meters. It reads the same in English
as in Korean (Hangul: ). [4] Belgian priest Didier tSerstevens, also
known by his Korean name of Ji Jeong-hwan in 1967, developed Imsil Cheese. [5] Imsil
Cheese was developed from two goats brought by Father Ji. [4] Imsil N Cheese, which are
certified cheese products and brand made in Imsil. Imsil N Cheese is fermented
coagulation made of whole milk, skimmed milk, cream, buttermilk, which then coagulate
the rennet casein by adding proteolytic enzymes and processed by heat and
pressurization. [2] To celebrate Father Jis invention, Imsil Cheese theme park was
established in 2004. The theme park contains eight participatory halls including Cheese
castle, Cheese exhibition hall, Participatory center, Imsil N Cheese Shop, science
laboratory and visitors center, where visitors can learn and experience about the history of
Imsil Cheese, theme park and manufacturing processes. Through Imsil N Cheese festival,
the theme park promotes Imsil Cheese as a Korean traditional food and provides children
and adult the best playground to learn and enjoy cheese with various events and
celebrities.
[4]
Table of Contents

History of Imsil Cheese

Establishment of Imsil Cheese theme park

Imsil N Cheese Manufacturing Process

The participatory center

Imsil N Cheese Shop

Imsil N Cheese Festival

History of Imsil Cheese

Ji Jeong-hwan, called father of Imsil Cheese, is awarded honorary citizenship certificate

from Citizen Imsil County number.
(Copyright: Imsil County. Photo by Nocut News) [7]
http://www.nocutnews.co.kr/news/4690456

In 1958, Belgian priest Didier t'Serstevens, also known as Father Ji, arrived in Korea and
stayed at Imsil Catholic Church. At that time, Imsil County did not even have any
regional special products. Imsil county governor requested Father Ji to work not only for
believers, but also for entire Imsil Countys development to revive the regions economic
downfall from the Korean War. [4][5]

Father Ji brought two goats to start cheese manufacturing with the villagers. The business
started with raising goats and selling goat milk, but the sale was slow. Father Ji sent a
letter to A French dairy farming school and studied enzyme instruction. France sent
amateur technicians who worked in the cheese factory only for a month in France to Imsil
County. It was the first time Camembert cheese was made in 1986 in Korea thanks to the
technicians help. Since county people were not very aware of Camembert, it failed to
succeed in the market. In 1969, Father Ji came back to Europe to learn cheese-
manufacturing skills. In 1970, again in Korea, he started making cheddar cheese, which
can be stored over three months longer than Camembert, which has a relatively short
storage period. [5][3]

After the contracts with five-star Chosun hotels succeeded, the surplus accelerated and
expanded to the cheese factory and facilities. [2] The goat cooperative evolved into a form
of cooperative credit and made it possible to pay tuition fees for its members. In the mid
1970, the first pizza store in Korea located in Myung-dong, Seoul, requested Imsil
County to make other alternative cheese to mozzarella cheese, which were extremely
costly to import. In order for their request, Father Ji succeeded to create the first Korean
traditional mozzarella cheese, which applied American cheese with Korean plainer flavor
in 1976. The cheese by Father Ji in 1976 began to be famous as Ji Jeong-hwan Imsil
Cheese. The cheese became so popular and beloved by Koreans who did not knew its
history that they often misunderstood Father Jis name, Ji Jeong-hwan, as the name of a
type of cheese. [3][6]

In the late 1990s, Imsil Cheese became a famous brand. Several Korean pizza stores
named their pizza as Imsil cheese and there are more than 20 pizza franchises that title
themselves as Imsil cheese. In 2011, in order to officially assure the unique Imsils asset,
Imsil County launched a co-brand called 'Imsil N Cheese,' which can be used only for
cheese produced in Imsil. [4]

Imsil N Cheese Manufacturing Process

Imsil County defines Imsil N Cheese as a Natural, National and Nutrient cheese. It also
means There is Cheese in Imsil in Korean (Hangul: ) [4]

The first step in making cheese begins with collecting fresh milk.
Fresh crude oil produced in the clean area is used after the antibiotics test.
Then, harmful microorganisms in the milk is removed through sterilization at 72 C for
15 seconds. Sterilized crude oil is passed through a cooling device into cheese belt and
ferments milk with lactic acid bacteria added. The fermented milk is hardened with
rennet, which is extracted from the calf from the coagulase, and this condition is curd.
This is cut again and separates in the curd and the cheese is processed differently
according to the type. [4][2][5]

Cheese that are hardened from milk.

(Copyright: Korea.net, Photo by Jeon Han) [5]
http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Travel/view?articleId=126210

1) Put the milk in a container and harden it. Milk needs to be the exactly obtained from
the cow, instead of combining or adding chemicals. This status is the crude milk, which is
the milk before the fat is regulated or homogenized. [4]

2) When the milk is slowly getting corn, add lactic acid bacteria and rennet to harden the
milk. Rennet is a protein hydrolytic enzyme obtained from cows stomach. The nomad
used to make cheese by putting sheep milk in sheeps stomach and shaking, and this
method also uses rennet from sheeps stomach. [4]

3) The rest of what solidifies in milk is called whey. After removing the whey, the curd is
remained. Thus, the amount of cheese that can be obtained from the milk, which was
originally full of basket, comes out very small. It is known to be about 1/10 of milk. [4]

4) Go into the tube to reap curd with antisepticised clothing and shoes. Cut it and take it
in bucket. [4]

5) Put Gouda bacteria in curd and create Gouda cheese. Gouda cheese must be washed in
salt water to remove mildew on the surface for proper aging. The temperature and
humidity need great care and attention in this process.
Use factory machine to make cheese, after cutting the curd, it is enlarged by machine in
warm water in 78~80C. [4]

6) The stretching machine automatically transfers the cheese to the shaping machine to
form a proper size of cheese. The shape of cheese usually comes out cubes. [4]

7) After drying the cheese, mature at 7~8C. Then the Imsil N Cheese is completed. [4]

8) Enjoy Cheese dish. One of the most popular and beloved Korean traditional food by
Korean and foreigners is Bibimbap. There is a cheese restaurant in Imsil Cheese theme
park, which sell many different menus including Cheese Bibimbap, Cheese miso stew,
Cheese spicy rice cake, and Cheese pork belly. Besides these food, there are abundant
applicable dish by simply adding cheese in the original Korean dish. [4]
Establishment of Imsil Cheese theme park

Full view of Imsil Cheese theme park, which occupies great size.
(Copyright: Imsil Cheese theme park) [4]
http://www.cheesepark.kr/korean/SubPage.php?CID=pages/park02.php

Starting from 2004, Imsil cheese theme park was established to celebrate Father Jis
genuine work for Korea and to develop an experience-able tourists spot. [3] Imsil Cheese
theme park is the root place of Korean traditional cheese, called Imsil cheese named
after the village. Imsil cheese theme park allows the tourists to experience and engage
with Imsil cheese. It is modeled after the Switzerland cheese village. [4] Imsil cheese
industry soon became regional specialized business, and Imsil county concentrated
cheese related business budget in one location, Imsil cheese theme park. [2] It consists of
eight participatory halls including Cheese castle, Cheese exhibition hall, Participatory
center, Imsil N Cheese Shop, science laboratory and visitors center. Participatory center
includes three separate halls: theme hall, park hall, and milk processing factory. Each
year, the Imsil N Cheese festival is held to promote consuming Korean cheese and to
commemorate Father Ji. There are increasing number of establishment of stock farm type
cheese manufacturing company. The stock farm type manufacturing process follows its
special method that has been kept more than over 40 years. [4]
The participatory center

The full view of the participatory center in Imsil Cheese theme park which natural
environment is well decorated.
(Copyright: Imsil Cheese theme park) [4]
http://www.cheesepark.kr/korean/SubPage.php?CID=pages/park03.php

Geum Sung-ri (place), which succeeded in producing and selling cheese, received the
second place in the Green Agriculture Experience Village managed by the Ministry of
Agriculture and Forestry in 2003. Since then, it started to make 'Cheese Making'
experience program and changed the towns name to 'Cheese Village'. It started to hold
more special experience programs through the ideas of residents such as cheese making,
goat experience, pizza and food making. In 2006, the village tourists tripled from 10,348
to 34,668 in 2006. [3]

The participatory center consists of three halls: Cheese exhibition hall, theme hall, and
park hall. The experiential center offers a variety of events such as stretching cheese,
making pizza, making dishes, and contesting who can make more cheese. Imsil N Cheese
Culinary Experiences has a schedule table so visitors can make reservations in advance
through the website. Since the Imsil Cheese Experience Course gives all the ingredients
to the assigned numbers of applicants, applicants can enjoy combining ingredients and
also watching the process together. Cheese Helper help family at tables, so and adults can
join and learn the agricultural culture.
The cheese making goes through the process of applying the oil to the pre-made rice
dough, cutting the various vegetables and topping them with the string cheese, which
applicants made through the experience program, on the pizza. [4][7]
Imsil N Cheese Shop

Imsil N Cheese Gift Set No.1 sold both in online shop

(Copyright: Imsil Cheese Mall) [8]
http://imsilcheesemall.co.kr/product/%EC%9E%84%EC%8B%A4%EC%B9%98%EC
%A6%88%EB%86%8D%ED%98%91-%EC%9E%84%EC%8B%A4%EC
%B9%98%EC%A6%88%EC%84%A0%EB%AC%BC%EC%84%B8%ED%8A%B8-
1%ED%98%B8/80/

Various types of Imsil N Cheese including Camembert and Gouda cheese.

(Copyright: Korea.net, Photo by Jeon Han) [5]
http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Travel/view?articleId=126210

The 'Imsil N Cheese Shop' in Imsil Cheese theme park run by Imsil Cheese Valley
Farming Association is an offline general shopping mall that sells all types of cheeses
produced in Imsil Cheese Nonghyup and in-house farmhouses. [3] The market sells aged
cheese and fermented milk products. It also sells specialties of Imsil County, such as
Muju wine that matches well with cheese. All the diary products in the market are labeled
as Imsil N Cheese. It prioritizes the organic freshness, so it may be difficult to ship
between the nations. The market has a Stamp event. If visitors collect six spots in Imsil
Cheese theme parks Stamp event, they can come back to the market and exchange the
stamp booklet for a gift. The visitors can take the stamp booklet to the Cheese Shop in
Cheese Theme Park and the local food store in Imsil Cheese Village. As the interest in
organic products is increasing among people, the demand of visiting this market for
health-conscious parents who raise children is also increasing. [4]

The direct call number for Imsil N Cheese Shop is 063-643-0006 [4]

Imsil N Cheese Festival

Military band parade, which are held on the first and last day of Imsil N Cheese Festival.
(Copyright: Imsil N Cheese Festival) [1]
http://www.imsilfestival.com/index.php

Imsil N Cheese Festival is the most popular festival in Jeolla bukdo, where visitors can
enjoy and learn the Korean traditional culture through a variety of experience programs
with Imsil N Cheese. The festival pursues more enriched values in life and struggles for
children and adult to create newer and fresher culture. [4] Not only Imsil N Cheese events,
but also there are also entertaining Korean traditional Music Performances (Nong-ak,
Hangul: ), contests, handicraft events and etc. It usually lasts for four days in Imsil N
Cheese Festival season. On the first day, there is Korean traditional folklore contest
(Minsok, Hangul: ) and cheer up! Cheer up! Parade with band. In the restaurant,
they hold invitation reception and end the first day with Cheese nation drama play
performance and song festival on stage. On the last day, there are day life culture art
community performances (Hangul: ) and military band parades.
The tourists also can participate in making mosaic art by filling the Imsil N cheese and
rice ball. They can enjoy a number of entertainment such as Family unit Doll Play, artists
busking, Bubble Bubble Magic Show, creative musical Rainbow made of Cheese and
the Legend of Dongja rock, Imsil Pilbong Performing Art companys performance and
closing ceremony Daedong Hanmadang. They can participate and judge the national
children cooking contest, national children creative song, eating cheese and Korean beef
called Hanu (Hangul: ) contest and Imsil N Cheese Star Chef Challenge. On 2016,
October 9th, the fourth day of festival, famous comedian and celebrity Myungsu Park had
a fan autographing event and celebrity chef Hyunseok Choi conducted the Imsil N
Cheese Star Chef Challenge. Ji Jeong-hwan also visited the festival in 2016.[1]

Reference:

1. N Cheese Festival Business, Imsil . " N ." N .

Web. 09 Mar. 2017. <http://www.imsilfestival.com/index.php>.

2. Korea Tourism Organization. " ." . Feb.

2017. Web. 09 Mar. 2017. <http://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?
docId=2031053&cid=42856&categoryId=42856>.

3. Korea Tourism Organization. "." . Feb.

2017. Web. 09 Mar. 2017. <http://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?
docId=2032260&cid=42856&categoryId=42856>.

4. Sim, Min. " ." .

2013. Web. 09 Mar. 2017. <http://www.cheesepark.kr/>.

5. Lee, Sangah. "Visit Imsil, a base for cheese tourism." KOREA.net Gateway to
Korea. 15 Mar. 2015. Web. 09 Mar.
2017.<http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Travel/view?articleId=126210>

6. Jang, Dae-suk, and Mina Lee. "A 4-decade history of cheesemaking." Korea
JoongAng Daily. Korea JoongAng Daily, 21 June 2005. Web. 09 Mar. 2017.
<http://mengnews.joins.com/view.aspx?aId=2584172>.

7. Yim, Sanghun. "." ,

- . No cut News, 24 Nov. 2016. Web. 09 Mar. 2017.
<http://www.nocutnews.co.kr/news/4690456>.

8. " - -
." - -
. 12.Nov. 2011. Web. 17 Mar. 2017. <http://imsilcheesemall.co.kr/>.