Ginseng fever can bring out the worst in people
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 - 01:30
in Mathematics & Economics
As the price of the root soars, the once-mystical hunt for wild ginseng in South Korea takes on a decidedly unspiritual taint, leading to rifts, thefts and jealousy.The hunters kneel before a tiny altar of fresh persimmons, paper cups of alcohol and burning incense, bowing three times to solicit permission from the mountain god to enter the forest.