Southernmost Yellowtail Festival
🗓️ 2026.11.19 ~ 2026.11.22
The Southernmost Yellowtail Festival connects Jeju’s sea, land, and people in one event. It celebrates the winter-flavored yellowtail that comes from the clean waters around Jeju and pairs it with local specialties such as garlic and potatoes. The festival is designed to strengthen the region’s brand value, attract tourists, expand local consumption, and revitalize the local economy. It also aims to bring together residents and visitors across generations and regions through shared experiences, culture, and performances. Because the event takes place at the southernmost point of Korea, it uses that geographical identity to stand out, with the goal of becoming the country’s representative marine fisheries tourism festival. The joy starts from the sea, leads into the village, and carries the excitement of the festival into the vitality of the local economy.
Visitors can take part in fishing activities, watch live performances, taste fresh yellowtail, and explore local food offerings. The program lineup is especially strong for families, with hands-on experiences for children, a firefighting experience, parades, photo zones, and fireworks to close the event.
Program highlights
- Catching yellowtail by hand, Children’s catching yellowtail by hand
- Yellowtail auction with visitors
- Cage yellowtail fishing experience
- Gil-teugi (Parade)
- Free yellowtail sashimi tasting and discounted yellowtail sales
- Various stage events (local singers, local performance teams, invited singers)
- Yellowtail Song Festival
- Yellowtail Mukbang (Eating) Contest
- Haenyeo (Female Diver) Singing Contest and Haenyeo performances
- Catch the Golden Key game experience using yellowtail
- 119 Firefighting experience
- Operation of various photo zones
- Operation of local food restaurants
- Closing ceremony Hope Fireworks
Practical information
đź“Ť Address: 66 Chuenamdanhaean-ro, Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do
🛏️ Accommodation near the event
đź’° Fee: Free
đź“ž Inquiry: 064-794-8032
🖥️ Homepage: www.bangeofestival.com
Yellowtail, known in Korean as bang-eo, is a migratory fish of the jack family. In winter, schools move into the warmer waters off Jeju Island’s southern coast, where they feed on anchovies and squid. That feeding affects the quality of the fish: by the time the yellowtail reach Seogwipo, they have built up enough fat to give the meat a rich flavor and a firm, smooth texture.
In Korean cuisine, yellowtail is most often served as hoe, or raw sashimi. It is sliced and eaten with a gochujang-based dipping sauce, wrapped in perilla leaves, or seasoned simply with salt and sesame oil. The belly cut is the fattiest, while the back meat is firmer; the skin is slightly chewy and is sometimes briefly torched. The fish also works well grilled, braised, or in stews, and no part is wasted—the head and bones make a light stock.
Winter is the peak season because the fish are at their fattest after their southward migration. The Jeju Southernmost Yellowtail Festival is held in Seogwipo at this time, and its program is built around the local catch. Visitors can watch yellowtail being cut, buy it from the fishermen who supplied it, and eat it at tables near the harbor. The festival does not try to be more than that; the direct connection between the catch and the meal is the draw.
