Toward the end of the Goryeo dynasty, Korea's southern coast suffered repeated raids by Japanese pirates (wako). Around 1363, a significant number of residents of Heuksando Island and its neighboring islands were forced to abandon their homes to escape these raids. Turning their backs on the sea, they traveled up the Yeongsan River and settled deep inland, at a port called Yeongsanpo. Naju's connection to skate (hongeo, a type of fermented ray) began with this act of displacement.
Even after resettling, these refugees couldn't let go of their attachment to the skate caught in the waters near Heuksando. The problem was distance. Transporting skate caught off Heuksando up the Yeongsan River to Yeongsanpo by boat took several days. In an era without refrigeration, the fish naturally fermented over the course of this long journey, developing its now-famous sharp, pungent smell and flavor. What began as an unavoidable byproduct of spoilage gradually, over time, became a distinctive culinary tradition unique to this region. Today, Naju's Yeongsanpo district is home to a dedicated "skate street" specializing in this fermented delicacy. What started as an accidental fermentation endured by refugees on a river journey has, over more than 600 years, become one of the defining flavors of this region.