Jeju farmer finds entire tangerine orchard stripped overnight

A tangerine farm on Jeju Island, spanning about 56,000 square meters, was stripped clean overnight, local media reported Thursday.

According to the reports, the farm owner arrived at her farm in Bongae-dong, Jeju, on Monday, only to find that every last tangerine had disappeared.

“I thought I was in the wrong field,” she told a Jeju broadcaster. “All the tangerines that had been hanging from the trees were gone, and all I could see were green branches. It was unbelievable.”

Local police, based on trash and other items left at the scene, have identified a suspect in his 50s. During questioning, he reportedly said he deployed nine workers and harvested the entire orchard in a single day, claiming he was simply following instructions from a team leader.

The orchard had been expected to yield about 3 tons of tangerines this year.

As of Nov. 18, the average wholesale price of tangerines at the nation’s nine largest markets was 13,000 won per 5 kilograms, which is 7.4 percent higher than the same period last year, when the price was 12,100 won. It is also 15 percent higher than in 2023, when it was 11,300 won.

About 70 cases of agricultural theft have been reported on Jeju Island over the past three years. Many farms lack surveillance cameras, making it difficult for police to track suspects, and the arrest rate remains below 50 percent.

In response, the Jeju Provincial Police Agency is urging farmers not to leave harvested crops in the field and to keep them in locked, camera-equipped storage facilities.