Visitors to Ulsan Ulju Mountain Film Festival Surge 62% as Outdoor Enthusiasts Converge

【Financial News, Ulsan = Reporter Choi Su-sang】 The Ulsan Ulju Mountain Film Festival is establishing itself as an important part of Korea's mountain culture, particularly among enthusiasts.
According to the Ulsan Ulju Mountain Film Festival on the 27th, the five-day 11th edition closed on the 22nd.
A total of 116,274 people attended this year's festival, a 61.9% increase from last year's 71,835 visitors.
Overall seat occupancy also reached 68.2%, driven by a high presale rate after major films sold out even before the festival opened. That was up from 54% last year.
Festival organizers said the event's growth had become increasingly evident, with attendance rising for three consecutive years. The festival began with 25,000 visitors at its first edition in 2016 and surpassed 10,000 additional visitors each year, reaching 42,000 in 2019. Attendance then plunged in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, before the festival began regaining momentum with 46,000 visitors in 2024.
A local mountaineering community official said, "The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling and camping rather than indoor activities. The formation of enthusiast groups in various fields also fueled interest in outdoor activities overall." The official added, "Their attention naturally turned to the festival because it is the only one in Korea specializing in original mountain and nature films that are difficult to find at other festivals or in regular theaters."
Reflecting this trend, the festival operated a variety of screening venues, including camping tents, forest theaters and late-night screenings in nature. It also secured numerous films featuring hiking, climbing, trail running, backpacking, skiing and canoeing to attract outdoor enthusiasts. The late-night forest theater, which began screenings at 11:59 p.m. each day and continued until sunrise the following morning, sold out well in advance.


An onsite box-office official said, "We scheduled films covering specialized fields such as big-wall climbing and high-altitude mountaineering late at night, and young people were the first to reserve tickets." The official added, "Many visitors who tried to buy tickets at the venue on the day had to turn back because the tickets had sold out early."
It was also noted that children attending the festival enjoyed not only rock-climbing programs but also forest activities that brought them into contact with nature, such as tree climbing and walking on ropes. This differed from the past, when their activities were largely limited to watching cartoons and playing with toys.
The fact that at least three national rock-climbing competitions are held every year, including the CLIMB KOREA Cup 38th National Friendship Sports Climbing Competition held during the festival, was also seen as contributing to the Korean mountaineering community's growing interest in the event.
The 11th Ulsan Ulju Mountain Film Festival plans to continue meeting audiences through its monthly screening program, "UMFF Salon," for the rest of this year. It also plans to expand its engagement with audiences in various ways outside the festival period.
[email protected] Choi Su-sang Reporter