Mungyeong Apple Festival
🗓️ 2026.10.17 ~ 2026.11.01
Mungyeong is a mid-mountainous region where apples grow in a clean natural environment, nurtured by fertile soil and a wide diurnal temperature range between day and night. That temperature fluctuation is what concentrates sugars in the fruit as it matures, and the resulting apples are renowned as “honey apples” for their firm texture, rich aroma, and high sugar content. The farmers behind them reinforce that reputation, completing technical training to produce safe, delicious fruit and taking pride in being “kind farmers” who put the consumer at the center of everything they grow.
The Mungyeong Apple Festival is the annual celebration of that effort, built around the Gamhong apple — a national representative luxury variety with an average sugar content of 16.5 Brix, among the highest in the country. The festival pairs event programming with promotion and sales activities to introduce the excellence of Mungyeong Gamhong apples to a wider audience, and it gives visitors a chance to taste, pick, and purchase the fruit at its source. For those who cannot make the trip in person, the festival also operates an online store, so the region’s apples are available beyond the festival grounds.
Festival Program
1. Official Events
- Opening Ceremony Celebration Performance — a performance marking the official start of the festival.
2. Special Sales Events
- Mungyeong Apple Special Sales Booths — purchase Gamhong apples directly from local growers.
- Agricultural Specialty Product Sales Booths — browse and buy other agricultural specialties from the Mungyeong region.
3. Experience Events
- Apple Picking Farm Experience — pick apples straight from the orchard.
- Tree Playground Experience — recreation and play in a tree-lined outdoor setting.
- Apple Sticker Tattoos — a light, playful activity for younger visitors.
- Making Apple Paper Hats — a hands-on craft project for all ages.
- Cornhole Toss Experience — a simple, approachable lawn game.
4. Special Events
- Apple Sharing Event — a community-centered event where apples are shared with attendees.
- Apple Day — a day devoted entirely to the region’s signature fruit.
Visitor Information
📍 Address: 932 Saejae-ro, Mungyeong-eup, Mungyeong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
🛏️ Accommodations near the event
💰 Fee: Free
📞 Inquiry: 054-571-7677
🖥️ Website: https://www.mgapple.or.kr/
What are Gamhong apples?
Gamhong is a South Korean apple variety developed by the country’s agricultural research institutes. The name translates as “sweet red,” which is a fair summary of the apple’s main traits: deep red skin and a pronounced sweetness with honey notes. It is one of the varieties grown around Mungyeong, and it is the focus of the Mungyeong Apple Festival.
The flesh is firm, dense, and juicy. A bite breaks cleanly, and the flavor is sweet enough to work as a dessert apple, with a slight tartness that keeps the sweetness from becoming cloying. The aroma is mild and a bit floral. The skin can range from bright red to a darker crimson, depending on how much sun the fruit receives while growing. These qualities make it a reliable choice for fresh eating, packed lunches, and simple fruit arrangements.
Mungyeong’s mountain climate contributes to the quality of the crop. Wide swings between warm days and cool nights during the growing season give the apples time to accumulate sugar and develop their color. This is why local orchards are well suited to Gamhong and why the festival, which will be held again in 2026, draws on that local supply. Visitors can sample the apples at the festival, buy them from market stalls, and, in some cases, pick them directly from the trees. The festival is best understood as a regional harvest gathering centered on one apple.
