Yangju Autumn Globe Amaranth Festival

🗓️ 2026.09.26 ~ 2026.10.04

Globe amaranths in seven colors, each with its own flower language and charm, will fill Yangju Nari Farm from September 18 together with more than 20 species of autumn flowers. The seemingly endless flower fields create a space where the splendid atmosphere of autumn can be fully felt. Under the slogan “Yangju’s Autumn Dyed in Globe Amaranth,” the 2026 Yangju Globe Amaranth Autumn Festa will be held during the weekends from September 26 to October 4.

During the festival period, the farm offers flower field viewing along with programs designed for capturing moments with family and partners and for making memories with friends. Performances, hands-on experiences, and photo zones are set up throughout the farm, so visitors of all ages have something to enjoy. The festival program also includes cultural and art performances, specially designed spaces, and experience and market booths.

Yangju Nari Farm is located in the center of northern Gyeonggi Province and is reachable within approximately one hour from anywhere in the metropolitan area, which makes it one of the top spots for autumn outings.

Planned performances

• Katuri Sing-along Show
• Bubble Magic Show
• Flower Path Busking

Side events

• Yangju Globe Amaranth Autumn Festa Marathon (hosted by Yangju City Sports Council)

Practical information

• 📍 Address: Gwangsa-dong, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do
• 🛏️ Accommodation near the event
• 💰 Fee: Admission fee required
• 📞 Inquiry: 031-8082-5655
• ⭐️ Instagram: @yangju_festival
• 🖥️ Homepage: cheonilhong.kr

What is globe amaranth?

Globe amaranth (Gomphrena globosa) is an annual flower native to Central America and cultivated in tropical and warm temperate regions worldwide. It belongs to the amaranth family (Amaranthaceae). The common name comes from the flower heads, which are round, clover-like clusters of small tubular florets. These heads are made up of papery bracts rather than true petals, giving them a dry, stiff texture that persists after picking.

The plant grows upright to about 30 to 60 centimeters, with slender green leaves and firm stems. Flowers appear in magenta, purple, pink, white, and red, and remain on the plant from late summer into early autumn. Because the bracts hold their color and shape when dried, globe amaranth is a standard material in dried flower arrangements. In Korea, this durability has associated the plant with longevity and immortality.

The plant also has a history of practical use. Its flowers have been brewed into tea in traditional herbal medicine, and it has served as a source of natural dye and as material for festive decoration. It grows well in hot, sunny conditions and requires little attention once established, which makes it suited to open-field cultivation. These traits are also what allow the Yangju Autumn Globe Amaranth Festival to plant extensive fields of the flower and keep them presentable for visitors over several weeks. For gardeners and florists, globe amaranth offers an annual that does not wilt quickly and holds up both in the ground and after harvest.

Siheung Gatgol Festival

🗓️ 2026.09.18 ~ 2026.09.20

The Siheung Gaetgol Festival is an ecological festival held at the Siheung Gaetgol Ecological Park, located in Gyeonggi-do’s only inner-bay tidal creek. The festival is built on a natural environment where old salt farm sites and wetlands harmonize, and its programs are designed around that landscape rather than simply placed within it. Visitors can rest, learn, and play while surrounded by a setting shaped by tidal flows and salt-making history. To protect the ecological park’s environment, the festival is car-free, meaning the grounds are explored on foot at a slower, more deliberate pace. Visitors should plan to arrive without a vehicle and be prepared to walk between programs.

What distinguishes the festival from other outdoor events is the direct link between the land and the programs. The tidal creek, the old salt pans, and the wetlands around them are not just a backdrop. They are the subject of the festival’s signature performance, the material for its hands-on activities, and the inspiration for programs such as the Salt Warehouse Puppet Theater and the Salt Farm Experience.

Signature Program: Memory of Salt, Dance of Water

The festival’s representative program is “Memory of Salt, Dance of Water,” a salt pan performance that connects the site’s past as a working salt farm with the water that continues to shape the tidal creek landscape. It is the anchor of the festival and the program most strongly tied to the event’s identity.

Performance Programs

The performance lineup includes:

• Concert in Gaetgol — live music staged in the open wetland environment.
• Tree Forest Music Festival — musical performances set in the park’s wooded areas.
• Salt Warehouse Puppet Theater — puppet performances inside a former salt warehouse, a venue that links the festival’s theatrical side to its industrial heritage.
• Gaetgol Senior Runway — a fashion-show format that extends the festival’s performance program beyond music and theater.

Experience Programs

Experience programs focus on direct, hands-on engagement with the park and its materials:

• Fantasy Hot Air Balloon Experience — an aerial view of the park and the surrounding tidal landscape.
• Gaetgol Expedition — an exploration program that takes visitors through the tidal creek environment.
• Salt Play / Barefoot Salt Road — an opportunity to handle salt and walk barefoot on a salt road, made possible by the site’s salt-making heritage.
• SEA POOL Party — a water-based attraction within the festival grounds.

Collaboration and Family Programs

Several programs, organized with partner groups, are particularly suited to families:

• Hop-hop Insect Experience — insect-themed activities for children and adults.
• Salt Farm Experience — a hands-on introduction to salt production.
• Slow Post Office — a place to write and send letters at a relaxed pace, in keeping with the festival’s car-free, slow-paced format.
• Today Gaetgol is My Playground — an open play program that turns the park’s open spaces into a playground.
• “Let’s Walk Siheung” Walking Festival — a walking program that fits naturally alongside the car-free festival format.
• Siheung Salt Farm Salt Festival — a dedicated program focused on the area’s salt-farming heritage.

Other Programs

The remaining programs round out the festival’s offerings and spread activity across the park:

• Art Festival in the Street — art installations and performances placed along the festival’s paths.
• Gaetgol National Art Contest — a national art contest that invites participants to create works in and around the park.
• Gaetgol Memory Photo Studio — a photo studio where visitors can have pictures taken to remember their visit.
• Gaetgol Stamp Rally — a stamp-collecting activity that encourages visitors to move between different points across the festival site.

Practical Information

• 📍 Address: 287 Dongseo-ro, Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do (Janggok-dong)
• 🛏️ Accommodations near the event
• 💰 Fee: Free (some experience programs have a fee)
• 📞 Inquiry: 031-310-2916, 2919~2920
• ⭐️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sgfestival
• 🖥️ Website: https://shggfestival.com/

What is Gaetgol?

Gaetgol (갯골) is a Korean term for the tidal creeks and channels that form in coastal mudflats as the tide moves in and out. These waterways appear and disappear with the tide, cutting through mud and salt marsh and leaving behind sediment and shallow pools. The name describes a specific kind of coastal terrain common along the Yellow Sea coast.

In Siheung, Gaetgol is the central feature of an area where freshwater streams meet seawater. The mix of fresh and salt water creates a brackish zone that supports a particular set of plants and animals. Migratory birds stop here to feed on the mudflats, and the channels provide habitat for fish and crustaceans. The tidal flats also have a history of human use. Salt makers used the sun and wind to evaporate seawater in shallow pans, a method that continued for generations and shaped the local economy.

The Siheung Gaetgol area is now maintained as an ecological park. Boardwalks allow visitors to cross the wetlands without disturbing them. Observation points are used for birdwatching, and the former salt pans are preserved as part of the site. It is an example of how coastal wetlands can support both wildlife and a human livelihood, and how the two can occupy the same land.

Chuseok Sharing Market

🗓️ 2026.09.15 ~ 2026.09.17

The 2026 Chuseok Seoro Market, also referred to as the Chuseok Sharing Market, is a city-rural coexistence direct trading market held around Seoul Plaza. It brings together excellent agricultural and marine specialty products from various regions across the country for Chuseok, one of Korea’s most significant traditional holidays. More than a simple marketplace, the event serves as a space where local farmers and citizens can communicate directly with one another.

The market is organized around a practical premise: the various regional agricultural specialties needed for Chuseok shopping should be findable in one place. For citizens, this means the convenience of completing a large portion of holiday preparations in a single visit to Seoul Plaza. For producers, it means access to a concentrated urban audience and an opportunity to expand sales channels without going through intermediaries. This mutual benefit is the essence of the city-rural coexistence concept that defines the event.

In addition to selling agricultural and marine specialties, the market operates a range of experience and cultural programs where participants can engage with traditional culture and the atmosphere of Chuseok. The main programs consist of activities that citizens can directly participate in and enjoy, including the ‘Chuseok Table for 100’ with masters, a mill experience that introduces traditional mill culture, a moonlight photo zone utilizing Hanbok and the full moon, traditional game experiences, and the Hangawi Persimmon Tree Capsule event. These activities give visitors a way to connect with the seasonal customs of the holiday, from preparing festive foods to taking in the imagery of the full harvest moon.

A courier service within the venue further supports the convenience of the market. Visitors can have purchased goods delivered rather than carrying them around, and the service makes it easier for participating farms to sell their products in larger quantities. The result is an environment where excellent products from across the country can be purchased with ease, and where holiday shopping becomes a more relaxed experience.

Main Programs

1. Agricultural and marine specialty direct trading market — The centerpiece of the event, where regional farms sell their products directly to consumers.
2. Opening ceremony — The official start of the three-day market.
3. Pre-performances and Seoul street performances — Live performances held alongside the market.
4. Chuseok Table for 100 — A shared holiday table experience led by masters.
5. On-site reports — Reports and coverage from the event venue.
6. Songpyeon making — A hands-on opportunity to make songpyeon, the half-moon-shaped rice cakes traditionally enjoyed during Chuseok.

Side Programs

1. Moonlight photo zone — A photo zone combining Hanbok and the full moon.
2. Persimmon tree play yard — A play yard themed around the persimmon tree.
3. Mill experience — An encounter with traditional mill culture.

Consumer Participation Programs

1. Making pollack catchers — Crafting traditional implements used to catch pollack.
2. Making wish bracelets — Crafting bracelets meant to carry a wish.
3. Chopstick random grain moving game — A dexterity game played with chopsticks and grains.
4. Guessing crop weight — A guessing game based on the weight of crops.
5. Lucky pouch tactile quiz — A quiz where participants identify items by touch.
6. Songpyeon delivery challenge — A challenge themed around delivering songpyeon.

These programs add a participatory layer to the market, making it an engaging outing for families and groups of friends. As a representative city-rural coexistence event for Chuseok, the 2026 Chuseok Seoro Market simultaneously supports the expansion of sales channels for local farms and the convenience of Chuseok shopping for citizens, while allowing everyone to experience regional food and traditional culture together.

Practical Information

The market takes place over three days in mid-September, and admission is free. A courier service is available at the venue for convenient delivery of purchases. Visitors traveling from outside Seoul can find nearby accommodation through the link below.

📍 Address: 12 Eulji-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 02-6358-7774

🖥️ Website: https://2026추석맞이서로장터.kr/

What is Chuseok?

Chuseok, often called Korean Thanksgiving, is one of South Korea’s major traditional holidays. It marks the autumn harvest and includes ceremonies of thanks to ancestors. The holiday falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, which usually places it in late September or early October.

In the days before Chuseok, roads and train stations fill with people traveling to their hometowns. Families gather for charye, a memorial rite in which food and drink are arranged on a table as offerings to ancestors. The preparation is communal, and the meal afterward is shared by the family. A signature dish is songpyeon, half-moon-shaped rice cakes stuffed with sesame seeds, red beans, or chestnuts. Other customs vary by region, but two well-known ones are ganggangsullae, a circle dance performed under the full moon, and ssireum, traditional wrestling.

Chuseok is, above all, a time for family and for marking the harvest season. For those not traveling to a relative’s home, the Chuseok Sharing Market in Seoul offers a practical way to observe the holiday’s foods and customs, with seasonal produce, traditional games, and performances on display.

Colorful Garden: Jarasum Flower Festival

The Colorful Garden Jarasum Flower Festa takes place at Jarasum, a riverside islet in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi-do, from September 12 to October 5, 2026. Visitors can walk through autumn flower gardens while enjoying performances from local artists, weekend busking, and seasonal market stalls. Admission is 7,000 won, with 5,000 won refunded in local currency as local love gift certificates—usable at booths inside the festival as well as at restaurants and cafes within the jurisdiction. Gapyeong County residents are admitted free.

Festival Programs

1. Main Program: Flower Garden Healing Course
2. Side Programs: Su-wa-jin’s Busking Trip, busking and band performances by local artists, and booths selling local agricultural specialty products and snack foods
3. Consumer Participation Programs: Hands-on experiences such as balloon art that can be enjoyed with children
4. Other Details: Beverages and bakery stalls

Performances and busking run on weekends and public holidays, making those the liveliest days to visit. The balloon art and other experience programs give younger visitors a hands-on activity between flower walks, while the agricultural product booths bring local produce and specialties to the venue.

River and Venue Experiences

Boat operations along the Bukhangang River offer a chance to see the riverside scenery from the water. Inside the venue, electric vehicles provide a more convenient and special viewing experience for those who prefer not to walk the entire grounds. Visitors holding a Flower Festa admission ticket also receive discount benefits at major tourist attractions and businesses in the area.

Usage Fee

• 💰 Admission: 7,000 won (5,000 won refunded as local love gift certificates)
• Free admission for Gapyeong County residents

Event Information

• 🗓️ Date: September 12 – October 5, 2026
• 📍 Address: 60 Jarasum-ro, Gapyeong-eup, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do
• 📞 Inquiry: 031-580-2601
• ⭐️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jarasum_flower_festa/
• 🖥️ Homepage: www.gptour.go.kr

🛏️ Accommodations near the event

What is Jarasum?

Jarasum is a river island in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It lies in the Bukhan River and is connected to the mainland by bridges. The name comes from the Korean word jara, meaning softshell turtle; the island’s outline is often compared to a turtle resting on the water.

The island is small but has several types of open space: lawns, pine groves, and riverside paths. These make it suitable for picnics, cycling, and short walks. Most of the year it is relatively quiet. In spring, the Jarasum Flower Festival brings large numbers of visitors. Flower beds are planted across the lawns and along the riverbanks, and the event is one of the larger spring flower festivals in the region.

The festival also makes use of the island’s position. From the displays, visitors can see the Bukhan River and the mountains around Gapyeong. Jarasum’s function is not limited to hosting the festival; it is also a public park and a stop on the local bicycle route. For those who want a day trip from Seoul, it can be reached by train to Gapyeong Station and then by bus or taxi to the island.

Goyang Food & Beer Festival

The Goyang Food & Beer Festival returns for its 7th edition from September 11 to September 13, 2026, as Goyang City’s representative gastronomic culture festival. It is a participatory urban festival created alongside citizens and local commercial districts, combining food, craft beer, live performances, and hands-on experience programs. The festival aims to offer a restorative break from everyday life for Goyang residents and tourists alike, while also supporting the local economy through a win-win platform that connects commerce and tourism.

Alongside its food truck zone and beer zone—both positioned to appeal to the MZ generation—the festival functions as a space where generations can meet and communicate. It also extends beyond the festival grounds through stay-over content linked to Goyang City’s broader cultural and tourism resources. With an eco-friendly operation model and a thorough safety management system, the event presents itself as a sustainable, urban-type festival crafted by Goyang City and open to everyone.

Main Programs

• 1DAY — Korea Jayuro Song Festival
• 2DAY — Midsummer Night’s Classical Concert
• 3DAY — Citizen Healing Singing Contest
• Random Dance Competition

Side Programs

• Goyang Buskers Performances
• Family Experiences
• Goyang Night Market

Consumer Participation Events

• SNS Certification Event
• Treasure Hunt
• MC Quiz
• etc.

Other Food

• Beer Sales Booth
• 8 Food Booths (planned)

Practical Information

🗓️ 2026.09.11 ~ 2026.09.13

📍 Address: 1305-56 Jungang-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do (Janghang-dong)

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 031-927-9974

⭐️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foodandbeer_official/

Goyang is a city immediately northwest of Seoul. It is best known for KINTEX, the largest convention and exhibition center in the area, which draws business visitors throughout the year. The city’s main recreational space is Ilsan Lake Park, a large park built around a lake, with cycling paths, seasonal flower displays, and open-air lawns used for performances. Every spring, the Goyang International Flower Festival takes place in the park and fills the grounds with large-scale floral arrangements. Around the lake and near KINTEX, restaurants, cafés, and breweries have opened in increasing number, giving the area a food-and-drink scene that did not exist in its current form a decade ago. Goyang’s appeal is therefore practical: it offers convention facilities, outdoor space, and enough eating and drinking options to make a visit worthwhile. The Food & Beer Festival is best understood in that context, as one more seasonal event centered in the city’s established public spaces.

Cheongsong White Porcelain Festival

🗓️ 2026.09.11 ~ 2026.09.13

Cheongsong White Porcelain is a precious cultural heritage that has been passed down for over 500 years through the soil, water, and fire of Cheongsong, and through the fingertips of artisans. The process of completing a piece—where an artisan’s sincerity and waiting are added to materials obtained from Cheongsong’s nature—is a cultural asset containing the unique life and stories of Cheongsong.

The slogan “500 Years of History, 500 Years of Future, a Thousand-Year Promise” captures the festival’s intention to cherish the memories of the past 500 years and carry that value forward for the next 500 years. It is a promise to look at today’s Cheongsong White Porcelain anew, based on the tradition of the past, and to naturally pass on its beauty and meaning to the next generation.

The 2026 Cheongsong White Porcelain Festival offers a chance to look back at the time Cheongsong White Porcelain has walked, meet the current Cheongsong White Porcelain, and create new stories that will follow. A history of 500 years is not a time that stays in the past; it passes through today and leads to the future. The festival is designed as a time to remember the past 500 years, imagine the next 500 years together, and share a new promise that will eventually lead to a thousand years of history.

Visitors can encounter the beauty of Cheongsong White Porcelain up close through exhibitions, sales, experiences, and various cultural programs, and experience the special value of white porcelain born from soil, fire, and the fingertips of artisans.

Programs and Highlights

Performances

• Opening and closing ceremony performances
• Madang-geuk (traditional outdoor play)
• Puppet shows
• Samulnori
• Street performances
• Local resident performances

Exhibitions

• Cheongsong White Porcelain photo staging exhibition
• Artist collaboration exhibition
• Cheongsong White Porcelain Research Society exhibition
• Local resident exhibition

Experiences

• Potter’s wheel experience
• Hand-painting experience
• Cheongsong White Porcelain play experience
• Hanging wish wind chimes
• Stamp experience

Sales & Food

• Cheongsong White Porcelain sales zone
• Craft market
• Food trucks
• Jumak (traditional tavern) operation

Festival Information

📍 Address: 36 Cheongsongbaekja-ro, Juwangsan-myeon, Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Free admission (some experience programs have a fee)

📞 Inquiry: 054-874-0101

⭐️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cswp500/

🖥️ Homepage: https://www.cctf.or.kr/

Cheongsong white porcelain (Korean: Cheongsong baekja) is a white-glazed ceramic made in the Cheongsong area of North Gyeongsang Province, in the mountains of southeastern Korea. From roughly the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, local kilns produced a range of daily-use vessels that have been grouped together under this regional name. Unlike the white porcelain made for the royal court near Seoul, Cheongsong wares were not part of a centrally administered industry. They served a mostly local economy, and their reputation developed from the available materials and the skills of potters who settled in the area.

The color of the fired clay is the most noticeable property of Cheongsong baekja. The local clay contains less iron than many other Korean clays, so the body remains pale after firing. A thin glaze over the body produces a slightly milky surface. Depending on the kiln atmosphere and the exact composition of the clay, the resulting tone can have a faint blue cast or a warmer ivory tint. These differences are not treated as defects; they are used as clues for identifying where a piece was made.

The shapes are generally plain and practical. Large jars were used to store grain or fermented sauces; smaller jars held condiments and personal goods; bowls and bottles were made for everyday meals and drinks. Scholars could have used small brush rests or water droppers, but these too are modest in size and decoration. A line incised into the damp clay, a handle attached to a jar, or an iron-brown brushstroke are about as far as decoration usually goes. The surface itself carries the visual interest, and a piece changes appearance as the light moves across the glaze.

Modern visitors to the Cheongsong White Porcelain Festival can see the process in person: clay refinement, throwing, glazing, and firing. The festival also exhibits historical and contemporary pieces, with enough labels and demonstrations to clarify the differences between regional white porcelains. The tradition continues because the basic set of techniques is still practiced, not because the work is presented as an exceptional or mystical art form. It is a regional craft with a clear history, and its look follows from the materials and the uses it was designed for.

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Cheongyang Chili Pepper and Goji Berry Festival

🗓️ 2026.09.11 ~ 2026.09.13

As autumn arrives in South Korea’s Chungcheongnam-do province, the Cheongyang Chili Pepper and Goji Berry Festival transforms this agricultural heartland into a celebration of two ingredients that define the region’s identity. What distinguishes this festival from countless other harvest celebrations across the country is its unwavering focus on participatory experiences—the organizers have designed nearly every element to engage visitors directly rather than keep them at arm’s length as spectators.

Cheongyang-gun has built its agricultural reputation on these two crops: the slender, vividly red cheongyang chili pepper (청양고추), among the spiciest varieties cultivated in Korea, and the antioxidant-rich goji berry (구기자), which thrives in the area’s continental climate with its sharp temperature swings between day and night. The festival leverages these specialties through what organizers describe as “five-sense satisfying” programs—experiences that engage sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste in equal measure.

What to Experience

The festival unfolds across five interconnected zones, each with a distinct focus:

Food Zone
The culinary offerings extend well beyond typical festival fare. A dedicated food court pavilion houses multiple vendors, while the specialized food experience village zone grants more intimate access to preparation techniques. The spicy liquor (酒) and spicy pride provincial college zone represents a particular curiosity—this appears to be a competitive or exhibition space where regional universities present their interpretations of how these ingredients intersect with alcohol. Food trucks provide additional flexibility for visitors with limited time.

Culture Zone
The World Chili Pepper and Goji Berry Welcome Center anchors this area, presumably offering historical and agricultural context for these crops. The Jicheon Stream photo zone and night landscape installations suggest the festival maintains its atmosphere after dark—a practical consideration given that September evenings remain pleasantly temperate.

Experience Zone
This zone concentrates the festival’s hands-on programming. The chili pepper and goji berry photo booth offers a predictable souvenir opportunity, but more substantively, children can engage with a wood experience booth and participate in making Cheongyang-i character snacks. Rice cake making, face painting, and “magic sponge” activities broaden the appeal for families with younger children.

Market Zone
Direct sales channels connect visitors with regional producers. Chili pepper and goji berry sales booths offer the raw ingredients, local agricultural specialty sales booths expand the selection to other regional products, and Cheongyang bread sales suggest that local bakeries have developed signature items incorporating these flavors.

Event Zone
The scheduled performances and competitions form the festival’s public face. Chef Yeo Kyung-rae’s cooking show provides professional culinary demonstration, while the national high school cooking survival competition—a format familiar from Korean television—offers amateur competitors a substantial platform. The Catch! Teenieping sing-along show addresses the preschool and early elementary demographic through a currently popular animated character. The King of Spicy Pride competition presumably tests participants’ tolerance for the chili pepper’s heat. More communally oriented activities include making giant geotjeori (fresh, unfermented kimchi) and assembling goji berry rice cake mosaics—both yielding tangible, shareable results.

Evening entertainment features invited singers including Song Ga-in (a prominent trot vocalist), Park Ji-hyun, Park Hyun-bin, and Solji (former member of the girl group EXID). The “Spread the Excitement of Cheongyang” and resident autonomy performances suggest additional programming drawn from local community groups.

For Families

The 2026 edition has specifically expanded its offerings for families with children. Beyond the aforementioned Catch! Teenieping performances and photo zones, the kids zone incorporates a wooden culture experience area and appearances by Cheongyang’s official mascots: Cheongyang-i, Cheong-chorong, and Cheong-hong-i. This represents a calculated effort to transform what might otherwise be a niche agricultural festival into multi-generational destination.

Practical Information

📍 Address: 16-6 Euncheondong-gil, Cheongyang-eup, Cheongyang-gun, Chungcheongnam-do

🛏️ Accommodations near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 041-940-4852

🖥️ Homepage: https://칠갑마루.com/_festa

What are Cheongyang chili peppers?

Cheongyang chili peppers (청양고추) are a Korean chili variety developed in the 1980s and named after Cheongyang County in South Chungcheong Province. The peppers are slender, finger-sized, with pointed tips and skin that ranges from deep green to bright red depending on ripeness.

These peppers occupy a specific position on the heat spectrum. At 12,000 to 23,000 Scoville Heat Units, they exceed the mild heat of standard Korean green peppers without approaching the intensity of habaneros or ghost peppers. This range makes them useful for cooks who want noticeable spice without masking other flavors. The heat arrives quickly and lingers, followed by a mild sweetness that becomes more pronounced when the peppers are cooked or dried.

Several environmental factors in Cheongyang County contribute to the pepper’s character. The region’s mountainous elevation, significant temperature variation between day and night, and volcanic-derived soils with good drainage all promote higher capsaicin concentration. These conditions are not unique to Cheongyang, but local agricultural research and selective breeding have refined the variety over four decades.

Cheongyang now dominates domestic production of Korean hot peppers, accounting for roughly 70% of the national supply with annual shipments exceeding 200 billion won. This concentration has created a substantial processing economy. The fresh peppers appear in markets from late summer through autumn, but the harvest extends through year-round products: dried flakes (gochugaru), fermented pastes, oils, flavored snacks, and even capsaicin extracts for topical applications. The county hosts an annual pepper festival that draws visitors primarily from surrounding regions, where the crop serves as both agricultural product and local identifier.

In Korean cooking, “Cheongyang” functions as a shorthand for substantial heat. Restaurant menus often specify Cheongyang peppers to signal that a dish will be noticeably spicy rather than mildly seasoned. Home cooks use them fresh in stews and stir-fries, or dried and ground as a finishing spice. The commercial success of the variety has prompted some consideration of geographical indication protections, though the name has already entered general usage for similarly hot peppers grown elsewhere.

Jangsu Hanwoo and Apple Festival

🗓️ 2026.09.10 ~ 2026.09.13

*The following festival details are from the previous year’s (2025) festival; details for the 2026 festival are currently being updated.*

With Hanwoo (Korean beef) and apples as its central themes, this is Korea’s first “Red Color Festival”—a distinction it has held since its inception in 2007. The festival reached its 19th edition in 2025, making it one of the more established regional celebrations in Jeonbuk Province. What began as a straightforward agricultural showcase has undergone a notable transformation; starting in 2024, the festival moved beyond its two original pillars to encompass what organizers now term “Jangsu Red Food,” incorporating omija (Schisandra berry) and tomato alongside Hanwoo and apples.

This expansion into a broader culinary category has accompanied a push into value-added products. Visitors now encounter not merely raw ingredients but a range of processed goods: apple beer, apple soju, apple bread, and omija liquor among them. The festival’s evolution from Korea’s first Red Color Festival to what it bills as Korea’s first Red Food Festival reflects a deliberate effort to reposition itself within the competitive landscape of Korean cultural tourism events.

Programs and Activities

The festival divides its offerings into four categories, allowing visitors to calibrate their participation according to interest and energy level.

1. Main Programs

The core experience centers on three large-scale installations: the Jangsu Hanwoo Yard, which organizers describe as the nation’s largest; the Apple Yard; and the Red Food Zone. Beyond these exhibition and market spaces, the festival has incorporated interactive culinary programming, including a Jangsu Red Food cooking experience featuring chefs from Culinary Class Wars (the Netflix series known for its Black and White Chefs format). Additional main-stage activities include a Jangsu Red Food temple food making experience and a parent-child cooking program focused on tomato spaghetti preparation.

2. Side Programs

For those drawn to spectacle and physical competition, the festival offers the National Hanwoo carcass carrying experience—a test of strength involving the literal transport of beef carcasses—and the National Jangsu Hanwoo power arm-wrestling competition.

3. Consumer Participation Programs

Hands-on activities with lower barriers to entry include Jangsu apple bracelet making, Jangsu apple keyring crafting, apple golf, apple fishing, and apple rice cake pounding (a twist on the traditional tteok preparation ritual).

4. Other Content

Younger visitors or those seeking gentler interactions can access pony riding and horse feeding experiences.

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📍 Address: 378 Hannuri-ro, Jangsu-eup, Jangsu-gun, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province

🛏️ Accommodations near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 063-350-2356

🖥️ Website: https://www.jangsufestival.com/index.php

What is Hanwoo?

Hanwoo is Korea’s native cattle breed, Bos taurus coreanae. For centuries, these animals were bred on the Korean Peninsula primarily as draft animals for rice farming, with written records of their husbandry appearing as early as the second century BCE. Their transition to beef production occurred gradually through the twentieth century as mechanization reduced demand for agricultural labor and rising incomes created new markets for premium domestic meat. By the 1990s, Hanwoo had been repositioned as a luxury product, differentiated from imported beef through branding and quality controls that emphasized its Korean origin.

The breed’s physical characteristics reflect both its history and its current purpose. Hanwoo cattle are generally smaller and slower-maturing than European beef breeds, with a genetic disposition toward intramuscular fat deposition that differs from the more subcutaneous fat typical of Angus or Hereford. Their meat shows fine, web-like marbling rather than the larger fat seams common in heavily grain-finished American beef. The fat itself has a lower melting point and a higher proportion of oleic acid, which produces the clean, slightly sweet flavor that distinguishes Hanwoo from the richer, more complex taste of Japanese Wagyu. The muscle color tends toward bright cherry red, a visual marker that Korean consumers associate with freshness and quality.

Production standards are intensive and tightly controlled. The national grading system, administered by the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, assigns numerical scores for marbling distribution, meat color, fat color, and texture, with 1++ reserved for carcasses meeting the most stringent criteria across all categories. Most cattle enter feedlots at twelve to sixteen months and remain on grain-based finishing rations for an additional six to twelve months—substantially longer than the typical four-to-six-month finishing period for American beef. This extended feeding, combined with the breed’s slower growth rate, means Hanwoo cattle often reach market weight at twenty-four to thirty months of age. The result is higher feed costs and lower throughput, which producers recoup through premium pricing in a domestic market that has historically limited imported beef through tariffs and quotas.

Regional variations within Hanwoo production have developed their own reputations. Hoengseong in Gangwon Province, located in the mountainous interior where the 2018 Winter Olympics were held, established the benchmark for premium Hanwoo during the 1990s and early 2000s through coordinated marketing and consistent grading. More recently, Jangsu County in North Jeolla Province has built comparable recognition by emphasizing longer finishing periods—often pushing cattle past thirty months—and by documenting lineage through bloodline registries that appeal to consumers seeking assurance of genetic purity. The region’s producers cite local water quality and temperature differentials between day and night as factors contributing to cattle health and feed conversion, though the extent to which these variables meaningfully affect meat quality remains subject to the interpretive preferences of graders and consumers rather than controlled analysis.

The economics of Hanwoo production continue to evolve. Domestic consumption peaked in the mid-2000s as beef prices rose and pork, which Korea produces more efficiently, captured market share. Export efforts have been limited by production volume constraints and by the breed’s adaptation to a specific palate—Korean consumers generally prefer leaner, less marbled meat than Japanese or American markets. Recent research programs have attempted to reduce finishing times through selective breeding without sacrificing marbling scores, with mixed results. Meanwhile, the status associations of Hanwoo consumption persist: the meat remains a fixture of gift-giving, celebratory meals, and business entertainment, occasions where its price reinforces rather than constrains its appeal.