The record of pear cultivation in Naju goes back much further than most people realize. The Sejong Sillok Jiriji (Geographical Appendix to the Annals of King Sejong), compiled in 1454, lists pears among the local tribute goods (togongmul) that Najumok was required to send to the central government. References to Naju pears continue to appear in later records — the Honam Eupji of 1871 and the Geumseong Eupji of 1897. But the commercial cultivation we associate with the name today only began in the modern era. In 1910, a Japanese settler planted the first 100 trees of an improved variety, and in 1913, a man named Lee Dong-gyu, living in Naju's Songwol-dong, became the first to grow pears as a commercial crop, gradually expanding the cultivated area from there.
The decisive moment that turned Naju pears into a nationally recognized name came in 1929, when they were exhibited at, and won an award from, the Joseon Exhibition. Naju's geography made it an ideal growing region: rainfall of around 670mm during the July–September growing season provides near-optimal conditions for pear cultivation, and the nutrient-rich, well-drained soil of the Yeongsan River basin adds further advantage. Today, Naju accounts for 22% of Korea's entire pear production, making it unmistakably the country's largest pear-growing region. The saying "you might not know Naju, but you know Naju pears" captures just how thoroughly this fruit has, in some ways, become more famous than the city itself.