Nationwide = Yonhap News) In celebration of fall, the season of festivals, events to enjoy local food, flowers, history and culture are held throughout the country.
Local governments are busy welcoming visitors with local festivals and unique experiences, while also providing discounts and refunds and preparing measures to eradicate price gouging.
◇ Light the lanterns and sound the wind chimes… Unique material autumn festival in full swing
According to local governments across the country on the 4th, the Gyeongnam Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival, which opened on the 3rd, will continue in Jinju Castle and the Namgang area until the 18th. It will feature water and land lantern exhibitions, wish lantern hanging, lantern floating experiences, 1,300 drone performances, and fireworks.
In Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, the Andong International Mask Dance Festival, which opened on the 24th of last month, ends on this day.
The Ground Forces Festival and Gyeryong-gun Cultural Festival in Gyeryong, South Chungcheong Province, which attracts about 1 million people every year, is decorated with weapons exhibitions, honor guard performances, and military uniform fashion shows until the 5th. At the Cheonan Heungtaryeong Dance Festival, you can also see dances by foreign dance troupes from 24 countries during the same period.
At the Gimje Byeokgol Festival in Jeollabuk-do, the Gimje Horizon Festival, which opened on the 1st, continues until the 5th, and in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, the Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival opens on this day and runs until the 11th, featuring a reenactment of King Jeongjo's tomb procession.
The Jeonju Bibimbap Festival will be held until this day at Deokjin Park in Jeonju, featuring a large bibim performance and Paldo bibim street.
In Incheon, the Sorae Port Festival and Bupyeong Pungmul Festival are held until this day. You can taste fresh seasonal seafood and enjoy street performances by domestic pungmul groups and foreign folk art troupes.
The Cheongwon Life Festival in North Chungcheong Province will run a direct trading market for agricultural and livestock products and experience programs at Miraeji Rural Theme Park in Ochang-eup, Cheongju until the 11th.
On Chuja Island, Jeju Island, the 18th Pacific Ocean Oyster Festival will be held until this day based on the special products, sea oysters and sea oysters, and will feature sea oyster making and sea oyster auctions.
The World Heritage Festival, which opened on the 3rd, will continue until the 18th in the Geomun Oreum lava tube system, Hallasan Natural Reserve, and Seongsan Ilchulbong area.
In Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, the Joayong Festival, in which 39 characters from 27 organizations across the country participate, continues until this day, and in Uiryeong, Gyeongnam, the Rich Rich Festival based on the legend of the Sotbawi father and son continues until the 5th.
◇ Korean beef, ginseng, chrysanthemum… Festival procession until late fall
Festivals featuring local specialties, fall flowers, history and culture will also continue across the country until next month.
In the month of October, Busan connects 22 events in the fields of music, culture, film, art, business, and innovation into 'Festival October'. The plan is to increase tourist stays by linking representative events in each field, such as the Busan International Rock Festival, Busan International Film Festival, and Asia Startup Expo.
The Chungjang Festival of Memories will be held from the 7th to the 11th in the area of Geumnam-ro and Chungjang-ro in Gwangju, Jeollanam-do, under the theme of ‘Songs of Memories.’
In Mokpo, a port festival will be held from the 16th to the 18th at Mokpo Port and the Samhak Island area. The scenery and maritime culture of old Mokpo Port are recreated under the theme of ‘Memory of Passion, Joy of Full Ship’.
The Ulsan Industrial Festival will be held from the 8th to the 11th as an event where industry and culture come together, centered around the Namgu Dungeon of the Taehwa River National Garden.
In Ulju-gun, Ulsan, the Eonyang Korean Beef Bulgogi Festival, which returns after 10 years, will be held from the 9th to the 11th in a vacant lot next to the Ulsan Exhibition and Convention Center. There will be a large grilling area where Korean beef can be purchased and grilled right away, as well as an impromptu auction.
The Makguksu Dakgalbi Festival, which utilizes the representative food of Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, will be held from the 14th to the 18th at the Gongjicheon waterside promenade. 20 Dakgalbi and Makguksu restaurants will participate, and picnic and camping-style eating areas will also be prepared.
In Gangneung, following the Noodle Festival from the 15th to the 18th, the 18th Gangneung Coffee Festival will be held from the 21st to the 25th on Gangneung Coffee Street and throughout Gangneung City.
The Jeungpyeong Ginseng Bone Festival in North Chungcheong Province will feature a grand ginseng Korean beef bulgogi feast and a ‘network party’ featuring ginseng and beer from the 8th to the 11th. The Boeun Jujube Festival will be held from the 16th to the 25th.
In Gyeongbuk, the Yeongju Punggi Ginseng Festival will be held from the 3rd to the 11th of this month, and the Bonghwa Songi Festival, with a 30-year history, will open on the 15th.
The Jeonbuk Imsil N Cheese Festival will run from the 8th to the 11th, and the Sunchang Sauce Festival will run from the 15th to the 18th.
The flower festival in Jeongeup, Jeollabuk-do will be held from the 8th to the 18th.
The Masan Gagopa Chrysanthemum Festival in Changwon, Gyeongnam will feature an exhibition using 100,000 chrysanthemum trees and a falling flower play with the sea in the background from the 31st to the 8th of next month.
The fall festival will also open on the 31st at Cheongnam University in North Chungcheong Province, exhibiting over 500 bonsai of chrysanthemums and trees. You can also take the monorail and tour Cheongnamdae, which is colored with autumn leaves.
In Jeju, the Jeju Olle Walking Festival will be held from the 5th to 7th of next month to enjoy village performances and food while walking along the Olle trail. The Jeju Citrus Expo will be held in the Seogwipo Agricultural Technology Center from the 19th to the 23rd of the same month.
◇ Inducing local consumption through discounts and refunds… Be on guard against exorbitant prices
Local governments have introduced various benefits to encourage festival visits to lead to local consumption.
A 5,000 won admission ticket to the Cheongwon Life Festival can be used to buy agricultural and livestock products or a meal of the same amount at the event venue.
Sancheong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, in conjunction with the Oriental Medicine Herb Festival, returns 50% of the eligible consumption in the form of local love gift certificates to tourists who apply in advance and are approved at least two days before the start date of the trip.
Andong and Yeongcheon in Gyeongsangbuk-do also implemented a travel expense refund project, but the budget was exhausted early and additional support measures are being considered.
In Jeju, accommodation costs are discounted through the Accommodation Sale Festa. On attached islands such as Chujado and Udo, you can receive a 50,000 won discount if you book a product worth 70,000 won or more per night.
We are also pursuing measures to eradicate price gouging.
Changwon City applies the 'one strike out system', which means that even if extortion is detected just once at the Chrysanthemum Festival sales booth, you will be expelled.
Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival discloses food prices and weights on the Korea Tourism Organization's 'Food Allio'.
Gunsan City, Jeollabuk-do, will set up a price extortion reporting center at the Time Travel Festival and conduct joint public-private inspections.
Incheon Namdong-gu also opened the Sorae Port Field Support Center to improve the image of the fish market and eradicate exorbitant prices.
(Reporters Kim Hyeong-woo, Kim Sang-yeon, Kim Seon-ho, Choi Young-soo, Byun Ji-cheol, Kang Tae-hyun, Jang Deok-jong, Kim Yong-min, Kim Gwang-ho, Park Young-min, Lee Joo-hyung, and Jang Ji-hyeon)
