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Jung Kwan Jang (정관장), spelled Cheong Kwan Jang on older international packaging, is the Korean red ginseng brand of the Korea Ginseng Corporation (KGC), whose history goes back to the state ginseng monopoly founded in 1899. Its products are made from six-year-old Korean red ginseng and come as Everytime liquid sticks, concentrated extract, Hong Sam Won drink pouches, CheonNok and Hwa Ae Rak tonics, kids' tonics, oral films, tablets and whole roots. Most people start with Everytime.
If a Korean relative has ever handed you a red box of foil sticks, it was almost certainly this brand. Jung Kwan Jang is to red ginseng what OSULLOC is to tea: the default, the gift, the one in every office drawer. The range is wide and the names are in Korean, so this guide sorts it into families and says who each is for. For what red ginseng itself is, start with Korean Red Ginseng: What It Is and How Koreans Take It. All of our Jung Kwan Jang guides are listed in the Jung Kwan Jang hub.
At Daebak, a Seoul-based Korean culture and product company, we sell the brand's range through our shop. Product details below come from the product pages; the brand history comes from the news and reference sources listed at the end. Red ginseng is a traditional food, not a medicine: we describe what products are and how they are taken, not what they will do for you. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication (including blood thinners or diabetes medication) or managing a condition, ask a doctor before taking any of it.
The brand in brief
Ginseng was a Korean state monopoly from 1899 until 1996, and the name Cheong-Kwan-Jang (正官莊) was the label the monopoly authority used to mark genuine, officially processed red ginseng; the Korea JoongAng Daily translates it as "officially government approved" and notes the label carries six stars for the six years of cultivation. The monopoly became the Korea Tobacco and Ginseng Corporation, and its ginseng arm became the Korea Ginseng Corporation, a KT&G company, which still makes the brand today. In July 2023, according to The Korea Economic Daily, KGC unified the three names it had been using (Jung Kwan Jang in Korea, Cheong Kwan Jang in English-speaking markets and 正官莊 in China) under the single spelling JUNG KWAN JANG, so you will see both English spellings on packaging and listings; they are the same brand.
What "six-year red ginseng" means
Korean red ginseng is Panax ginseng root that is steamed and dried, which turns it reddish-brown and gives it a deeper, sweeter taste than white (simply dried) ginseng. Jung Kwan Jang uses only roots harvested after six years of growth, the age Korean growers treat as full maturity. The company farms through contract growers and, as the Korean business daily eToday reported, runs safety checks at seven stages from the planned field to just before the six-year harvest, some 290 tests in all. It also grades roots after harvest; "Heaven", "Earth" and "Good" are its grades, and you will see "Earth Grade" on the extract and root products in our shop. For the longer explanation of red versus white versus American ginseng, see Korean Red Ginseng (Hongsam): A Complete Guide.
The product families
| Family | What it is | Examples | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everytime | Single-serve liquid red ginseng extract in 10 ml foil sticks; the flagship | Everytime 30 packs, Everytime Soft, Pear flavor | First-timers, commuters, daily habit |
| Everytime Shot and Film | A 20 ml ampoule version and a dissolving oral strip | Every Time Shot, Every Time Film | People who want no liquid at all (film) or a stronger-tasting shot |
| Extract | Thick concentrated paste in a jar, taken by the spoon; the traditional form | Red Ginseng Extract 100 g, Extract Basic 100 g x 2 | Regular users; the most ginseng per gram |
| Powder, tablets, capsules | Dry forms | Extract Powder Stick, Soft Tablet, RXGIN red ginseng oil capsules | People who dislike the taste |
| Hong Sam Won | Ready-to-drink pouches, diluted and flavored with jujube, ginger, cinnamon and goji | Hong Sam Won Delight, Hong Sam Won (heat and drink) | Beginners who find sticks too strong; a warm winter drink |
| Good Base | Red ginseng with a second headline ingredient | Good Base with Elderberry, Good Base with Cheonma | People who want a fruitier stick |
| Jin Go | 10 g sticks built around red ginseng | Jin Go Immune Stick, Jin Go Vital Stick | A richer stick than Everytime |
| CheonNok | Red ginseng with deer antler (nokyong) and traditional herbs, in 50 to 70 ml pouches | CheonNok Energetic, CheonNok Lively, CheonNok Boosting | Gifts for parents and grandparents; the premium tonic line |
| Hwa Ae Rak | The line made for women, in 70 ml bottles or tablets | Active Me, Wise Me, Turning Me | Women in midlife, by the brand's positioning |
| Kids | Red ginseng tonics by age band, and gummies | Kid Tonic Step 1 (ages 3-4), Step 2 (5-7), Step 3 (8-10), Kid CheonNok Growing | Korean parents give these at school age; adult supervision |
| Whole roots | Dried red ginseng roots for brewing, graded by size | Legacy Root 20ji, 30ji, 40ji | Traditional preparation; the classic formal gift |
| Other tonics | Named formulas for specific audiences | Yul Jangsu Essence, JinYoon, Hwang Jin Dan pills, Sugar & Balance | Check each product page |
Everytime: where almost everyone starts
Everytime is the product that moved red ginseng from the kitchen cabinet to the handbag: a foil stick of liquid extract you tear open and drink, once a day. eToday reported in 2017 that it had become the brand's top product by units sold and had pulled the typical customer from their 40s and 50s down to their 20s and 30s. The original is the strongest-tasting; Everytime Soft adds agave, honey, licorice and propolis for a milder cup; the Pear, Hallabong and Sevenberry flavors are the easiest for people who dislike the taste. We compare every version in Jung Kwan Jang Everytime: Original, Soft, Shot, Film and Flavors Compared.
Jung Kwan Jang Korean Red Ginseng Everytime, 30 sticks. See details.
Extract: the traditional form
Korean Red Ginseng Extract 100 g is the dark, bitter paste older Koreans grew up with: a small spoon (the product page says 1 g, up to three times a day) stirred into warm water. It is made from Earth Grade roots and is the most concentrated way to take the brand. The Basic two-jar pack is the household version.
Jung Kwan Jang Korean Red Ginseng Extract 100 g. See details.
Hong Sam Won: the drink
Hong Sam Won (홍삼원) is the ready-to-drink line: red ginseng extract diluted with water and rounded out with jujube, ginger, cinnamon and goji. Hong Sam Won Delight is a 50 ml citrus-flavored pouch; the 120 ml heat-and-drink pouch goes into the microwave for a warm cup, the way Koreans drink it in winter. It is the gentlest entry to the taste.
Jung Kwan Jang Hong Sam Won Delight. See details.
CheonNok, Hwa Ae Rak and the tonics for parents
These are the boxes Koreans give to their parents. CheonNok (천녹) pairs red ginseng with deer antler and traditional herbs, in three versions (Energetic, Lively, Boosting) that the brand positions for older adults. Hwa Ae Rak (화애락) is the line the brand makes for women, with Active Me, Wise Me, Turning Me and the Q pro tablets. If you are buying for someone else, Korean Red Ginseng Gifts: Which Jung Kwan Jang Set to Give matches the lines to the recipient.
Which to try first
- Never had red ginseng: Hong Sam Won Delight or Everytime Pear; both are mild.
- Want the real thing, portable: Everytime 30 packs, the stick Koreans actually carry.
- Dislike the taste entirely: Every Time Film, a strip that dissolves on the tongue, or the Soft Tablet.
- Already a regular: the 100 g extract.
- For a child: the Kid Tonic for their age band, with adult supervision, as the product pages specify.
How to take each form, with the serving directions from the product pages, is in How to Take Korean Red Ginseng.
Jung Kwan Jang products in our shop are brand-shipped. If you would rather receive a seasonal mix of Korean products chosen for you, the Daebak Box is a separate, curated option.
FAQ
Is Jung Kwan Jang the same as CheongKwanJang?
Yes. They are two English spellings of 정관장, the Korea Ginseng Corporation's brand. KGC unified the name as JUNG KWAN JANG in 2023; older packaging says Cheong Kwan Jang.
What does Jung Kwan Jang mean?
The name comes from the label used under Korea's state ginseng monopoly to mark genuine, officially processed red ginseng; it is usually translated as "officially government approved".
What is the most popular Jung Kwan Jang product?
Everytime, the liquid stick, is the brand's best-known product and, per eToday, its top seller by units. The 100 g extract is the traditional form, and Hong Sam Won is the drink.
Does Jung Kwan Jang contain caffeine?
No. Its red ginseng products are caffeine-free; the product pages for Everytime and Hong Sam Won say so.
Can children take Jung Kwan Jang?
The brand makes Kid Tonic in three age bands (3-4, 5-7, 8-10) and a kids' CheonNok, to be taken under adult supervision. Adult products are not formulated for children.
Is red ginseng safe with medication?
Ask a doctor first. The product pages themselves advise consulting a physician if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medication, and name blood thinners and diabetes medication in particular.
