Cities and provinces in Korea are busy with local festivals this autumn.
Among these regions, Gangwon-do (Gangwon Province) is known for Seorak Mountain and the East Sea. Nature is the main keyword of local festivals held in this province. Mountainside towns or fishing villages welcome tourists with precious food ingredients from nature. On Jeju Island, the Olle Walking Festival attracts trekkers from around the world with the unique natural beauty of the island.
* Yangyang Songi Festival (September 29-October 3), Salmon Festival (October 22-23, October 29-30) Yangyang-gun (County) will bustle with festivals celebrating two well-known natural products — songi, or pine mushrooms, and salmons. The unique geographical features of Seorak Mountain and the East Sea help the county host both festivals.
Yangyang Songi Festival will be held on September 29 for five days. Visitors can learn more about mushrooms and try collecting good quality pine mushrooms from mushroom-producing areas in town. The mushroom-gathering program is so popular among tourists that nearly 6,000 overseas tourists participated at last year’s festival.
The county will also host a two-part Salmon Festival for two days on October 22-23 and 29-30. Visitors can have fun catching salmon with hand nets, work gloves, or their bare hands at the festival. They can also buy fresh, dried, or cooked salmon.
Those who want to join the salmon-catching program need to make an online reservation in advance. For more information about the festivals or Yangyang, visit the homepage of the county (http://eng.yangyang.go.kr/page/foreign/eng/index.jsp) (Korean, Chinese, English, Japanese).
* Hoengseong Hanu (Korean native cattle) Festival (October 5-9)
Thanks to the clean environment in the mountain area, Hoengseong-gun (County) of Gangwon Province is famous for livestock industry. This county is particularly known for Hanu, a native Korean cattle that produces good quality beef. Starting on October 5, the county will host the Hanu Festival for five days. Marking its seventh anniversary, this festival is considered the most popular beef festival in Korea.
To promote Hanu beef as a safe food item and revitalize the local economy, this year’s festival will focus more on the safety of the meat and Korea’s traditional farming culture closely related to Hanu.
Visitors can taste various kinds of quality Korean beef, including new delicacies like Hanu hamburger and Hanu sausage, and purchase Hanu meat at an affordable price. People can learn more about Hanu-related traditional farming culture by participating in farming programs. They can also taste other local specialties like Anheung steamed buns (known as Anheung jjinbbang in Korean) and deodeok (mountain herb) dishes.
For more information about the festival or Hoengseong, visit the homepage of the county (http://english.hsg.go.kr/main) (Korean, Chinese, English, Japanese).
* 2011 Jeju Olle Walking Festival (November 9-12)
Those who love trekking and natural beauty while walking, Jeju Island will be the top destination this autumn as the Jeju Olle Walking Festival will be held November 9-12 on the island.
Since November is the best month for trekkers to travel the island, this festival is expected to offer a precious opportunity for tourists to fully enjoy the true colors and unseen beauty of the island.
The upcoming festival will be held on a 51.6 kilometer-long route involving four Olle courses from 6 to 9.
Trekkers can enjoy both the folk culture and local specialties of the island during the walking festival as Jeju Olle, Inc. will host various programs to introduce the culture and local specialties of the island.
Those who want to join the trekking festival need to register online by October 16 on the homepage of the festival (http://www.ollewalking.co.kr/english/) (Korean, Chinese, English, Japanese). Up to 10,000 people can register.
Yoon Sojung
Korea.net
