The Chuncheon Gangchon area regains vitality through the ‘2026 Chuncheon Joint Marathon’

(Chuncheon = Yonhap News) Reporter Kang Tae-hyeon = The Gangchon area in Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, once filled with the laughter of college students, was excited for a long time with the foot traffic of runners who visited the '2026 Chuncheon Union Marathon' on the 3rd.

Gangchon, which had been quiet for a while, came to life as runners who crossed the finish line visited local stores with their families and friends.

The Dakgalbi and Makguksu restaurants in Namsan-myeon, Chuncheon were crowded with runners and their families after finishing the race.

Lee Seung-su (46), who runs Howon Garden Dakgalbi, said, “Even considering that it is the first day of the holiday, the number of customers has increased by about 30% compared to usual.” He added, “Usually, there were almost no inquiries about Chuncheon Love Gift Certificates, but today, in about an hour after opening, I received about 10 inquiries about the use of gift certificates.”

Mr. Lee added, “We expect that the marathon will attract many customers and help with sales,” adding, “Providing gift certificates is having a significant positive impact on the Gangchon commercial district.”

Park Sang-hyeon (41), who runs Gangchon Umi Charcoal Grilled Chicken Ribs and Gangchon 159 Chicken Ribs, also said, “At both stores, the number of customers has nearly doubled compared to usual, and all seats are full.” He added, “It seems that providing gift certificates has created an opportunity for participants to stay in Gangchon, not just to participate in the marathon.”

In addition, visitors flocked to cafes and convenience stores in the Gangchon area to purchase drinks and snacks.

In this year's competition, a refund system was introduced for the first time, providing 10,000 won of Chuncheon Love Gift Certificates to all participants.

The goal is to transfer the excitement of the race to the local commercial district by allowing participants to eat or purchase items at a local store after finishing the run.

As participants who ran along the Bukhangang River enjoyed Gangchon even outside the finish line, the competition went beyond competing for records and became an opportunity to eat, rest, and stay in the area.

Kim Young-woo (30) and Baek Ji-yeon (30), a couple from Seoul, said, "I came to Gangchon to look for a franchise in advance to use the Chuncheon Love Gift Certificate," and added, "I plan to taste Dakgalbi, Chuncheon's representative food, before returning."

Kim Myeong-hoon (34) and Shin Seung-eun (30), a couple who attempted the 10km course, also said, "I had never visited Gangchon before because I thought there was a lack of travel content, but the marathon led me to come here for the first time. I plan to eat at a nearby dakgalbi restaurant and use the gift certificate when paying."

Some people wanted to go beyond using gift certificates and enjoy traveling in the Chuncheon area during the holidays.

Kwon Ye-rim (32), from Inje, Gangwon-do, and Lee Yeon-woo (31), from Anyang, Gyeonggi-do, were planning to continue their trip to Chuncheon after enjoying Dakgalbi with the Chuncheon Love Gift Certificate they received after completing the 5km course.

Mr. Lee said, "I stayed in Chuncheon the day before to participate in the marathon, and today I plan to stay in Chuncheon one more day with a friend and travel. With the gift certificate, I can eat delicious food and travel to Chuncheon during the holidays, so I think it is very meaningful for the coexistence of the region, which is the purpose of the competition."

According to Chuncheon City, as of the 1st, there were 15,962 Chuncheon Love Gift Certificate affiliated stores throughout the city.

There are 219 locations in Namsan-myeon, where the competition venue is located, including 148 paper gift certificate merchants and 174 mobile gift certificate merchants. Merchants that handled both types were counted twice.