Photo = Lee Jeongwoo

Scores of meju (fermented soybean block) made in the traditional way on Dec. 17 ripen in the wind and sun under the eaves of a traditional jang (sauce) facility at the foot of the mountain pass Daegwallyeong in the township of Seongsan-myeon in Gangneung, Gangwon-do Province. As a basic ingredient of soy sauce, doenjang (soybean paste) and gochujang (red chili paste), meju is made by boiling and mashing soybeans, shaping them into bricks and drying them.