Korea 🇰🇷 Insight

[Intro] Every November, the waterfront of Baeraldo in Gwangyang, Jeollanam-do, celebrates a food that has conquered tables around the world: gim , or Korean laver. Gwangyang’s Taein Island is known as the birthplace of laver farming, and in 1642 Kim Yeo-ik is said to have first succeeded in cultivating laver here using the “seopkkoji” (branch-stake) method. This year’s 5th festival is held under a new name, changing from the former “Gwangyang Baeraldo Waterfront Festival” to the “ Gwangyang Baeraldo Gim Festival .” It features a 500-meter giant kimbap rolling performance , traditional laver-making experiences, folk games, and performances, all set against the meeting point of the Seomjin River and the sea. Korea Insight presents the complete guide to this festival, from access routes to must-see highlights and pro-tips. [시작하며] 매년 11월이면 전남 광양의 배알도 수변은 세계인의 식탁에 오르는 K-푸드 '김'을 기념하는 무대가 됩니다. 광양 태인도는 김 양식의 발상지로 알려져 있으며, 1642년 김여익 선생이 섶꽂이 방식으로 김 양식에 처음 성공했다고 전해집니다. 올해 제5회 축제는 기존...

[Intro] Every November, the small fishing port of Chuksan in Yeongdeok, Gyeongsangbuk-do, fills with the smell of grilled seafood and the sound of cheerful crowds. Mulgajami is a flatfish caught in large numbers off Yeongdeok’s East Sea coast, and it is prized for both raw fish dishes and grilling. The Yeongdeok Mulgajami Festival celebrates this local catch and has now reached its 20th edition. In recent years it has shifted toward a “Seafood Grill Festa,” where visitors cook flatfish and other seafood themselves over charcoal. Organizers describe it as a living fishing-village culture festival built together by local fishermen, young people, and residents. Korea Insight presents the complete guide to this festival, from access routes to must-see highlights and pro-tips. [시작하며] 매년 11월이면 경북 영덕의 작은 어촌 축산항은 해산물 굽는 고소한 냄새와 사람들의 웃음소리로 가득 찹니다. 물가자미는 영덕 동해안에서 많이 잡히는 생선으로, 회와 구이로 모두 인기가 높습니다. 영덕물가자미축제는 이 지역의 대표 수산물을 기념하는 축제로 올해 제20회를 맞았습니다. 최근에는 방문객이 숯불에 물가자미와 각종 해산물을 직접 구워 먹는 '씨푸드...

[Intro] Every November, Songnisan National Park in Boeun, Chungcheongbuk-do , glows with the last colors of autumn. Beneath its peaks stands the famed Beopjusa Temple and a village that carries centuries of tradition. The Songnisan Autumn Festival is Boeun’s signature traditional-culture festival, held to honor the mountain’s history and bring together residents and visitors. This year’s edition features the ritual mountain-spirit ceremony, a grand procession with around 400 participants, a giant bibimbap performance, traditional games, and a mountain-climbing contest. The festival also offers hands-on experiences where visitors can wear traditional clothing and make their own mountain-herb bibimbap . Korea Insight presents the complete guide to this festival, from access routes to must-see highlights and pro-tips. [시작하며] 매년 11월이면 충북 보은의 속리산국립공원은 가을의 마지막 빛깔로 물듭니다. 봉우리 아래에는 이름난 법주사와 수백 년의 전통을 간직한 마을이 자리하고 있습니다. 속리산가을축제는 속리산의 역사와 전통문화를 계승하고 주민과 관광객이 함께 어우러지도록 마련된 보은의 대표 전통문화 축제입니다...

[Intro] Every November, a quiet farming village in Gobuk-myeon , Seosan, becomes a sea of chrysanthemums. The Seosan Chrysanthemum Festival is a resident-led festival, run through the voluntary participation of local villagers, who grow, arrange, and host everything themselves. Now in its 26th year, it turns orchards and fields into a “chrysanthemum art garden” filled with flower mazes, giant heart-shaped displays, and country walking paths. The festival offers a gentler, more rural alternative to the big city flower shows, with farm-fresh local produce, hands-on harvest experiences, and traditional performances. Korea Insight presents the complete guide to this festival, from access routes to must-see highlights and pro-tips. [시작하며] 매년 11월이면 충남 서산 고북면의 조용한 농촌 마을이 국화의 바다로 변신합니다. 서산국화축제는 지역 주민들의 자발적인 참여로 운영되는 주민 중심형 축제로, 마을 사람들이 직접 국화를 키우고 꾸미고 손님을 맞이합니다. 올해 제26회를 맞은 이 축제는 과수원과 들녘을 '국화 예술 정원'으로 바꾸어 국화 미로 정원, 대형 하트 조형물, 정겨운 시골 산책로를 선보입니다. 대형 도시 꽃 축제와는 다르게 소박하고 따뜻한 농촌 정취 속에서 지...

[Intro] Every November, the city of Gumi in Gyeongsangbuk-do turns its downtown into a giant ramen playground. Gumi is home to Nongshim ’s Gumi plant, which produces Shin Ramyun , and the festival grew from this industrial heritage. Since launching in 2022, the Gumi Ramen Festival has become one of Korea’s fastest-growing food festivals, with visitors rising from about 80,000 in 2023 to 170,000 in 2024 and 350,000 in 2025. It has been designated a 2026–2027 Gyeongbuk Best Festival and a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism “Preliminary Culture and Tourism Festival.” The 2026 edition adds a Global Ramen Challenge with finalists from around the world, a new partnership with Ottogi , and long-distance shuttle routes from Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, and Gwangju. Korea Insight presents the complete guide to this festival, from access routes to must-see highlights and pro-tips. [시작하며] 매년 11월이면 경북 구미의 원도심이 거대한 라면 놀이터로 변신합니다. 구미는 신라면을 생산하는 농심 구미공장이 자리한 도시로, 이 산업적 뿌리에서 구미라면축제가 탄생했...

[Intro] In the quiet countryside of Sadae-myeon, Namwon, Jeollabuk-do, a novel comes to life every autumn. The Honbul Literature Festival celebrates “ Honbul ,” the epic novel by the late author Choi Myeong-hui , who spent 17 years writing its five parts and ten volumes. Set in the 1930s and 40s under Japanese rule, the novel follows three generations of matriarchs protecting a declining family estate and the people of a humble outcast village. The festival is held in Nobong Village and around the old Seodo Station, the real places that inspired the story. What makes it special is that villagers themselves act, direct, and perform, so literature becomes everyday life. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the novel’s completion, making it a meaningful time to visit. Korea Insight presents the complete guide to this festival, from access routes to must-see highlights and pro-tips. [시작하며] 전북 남원시 사매면의 고즈넉한 시골 마을에서는 매년 가을 한 편의 소설이 생생하게 되살아납니다. 혼불문학축제는 고(故) 최명희 작가가 17년에 걸쳐 5부 1...

[Intro] Every November, the mountain town of Cheongsong in Gyeongsangbuk-do fills with the scent and color of ripe red apples. Cheongsong is one of Korea’s leading apple-growing regions, and its Cheongsong Apple Festival has been named a Korea Culture and Tourism Festival by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for 2026–2027, its second selection after 2020–2023. The 2026 edition is the festival’s 20th anniversary, held under the theme “Now Cheongsong! Colored by Apples.” It features hands-on apple games, a national flower-rope weaving contest , celebrity concerts, nightly fireworks, and a Black Eagles air show to mark the milestone. Korea Insight presents the complete guide to this festival, from access routes to must-see highlights and pro-tips. [시작하며] 매년 11월이면 경북 청송은 잘 익은 붉은 사과의 향기와 빛깔로 가득 찹니다. 청송은 대한민국을 대표하는 사과 주산지 중 한 곳이며, 청송사과축제는 문화체육관광부가 지정하는 2026~2027 문화관광축제로 2020~2023년에 이어 두 번째로 선정된 전국 대표 축제입니다. 올해는 축제 20주년을 맞아 '지금 청송! 사과로 물들다'를 주제로 사과 체험 프로그램, 전국 꽃줄엮기 대회,...