Production and distribution of luxury tobacco seocho in Joseon

This study traces the production and distribution of tobacco in late Joseon to understand the birth of the iconic tobacco and the culture surrounding it. In general, tobacco has been recognized as a favorite symbol of the Joseon, and various studies have been conducted accordingly. However there is still a lack of research on the production and distribution of tobacco. To fill this gap, I examined the production and distribution of Seocho. and found that tobacco originated in Samdeng County, Pyeongan Province, and spread to neighboring areas, and by the 19th century, it had spread to Hwanghae Province. Meanwhile, in the late 18th century, it was difficult to find a city in the country that did not trade in tobacco, especially in large cities with developed transportation and it seems that local specialty tobacco spread throughout the country. In the case of Seocho, cigarettes were distributed as close as Pyeongan Province and as far away as Naju, Jeollanam Province, and Gijang, Busan. These results show that for favorite unlike necessities how far a product spreads is a good measure of its popularity.