Gangneung aims to revive tourism and local businesses around Ojukheon with bread festival

【Financial News | Gangneung: Kim Gi-seop】Fifty-eight bakeries from the Gangneung area will gather at the Hanok Village next to Ojukheon to welcome autumn visitors with freshly baked bread and desserts over three days.
According to Gangneung City on the 7th, the 2nd Gangneung Bread Festival (Bread-Baking Village, Ojuk) will be held from the 9th to the 11th at Gangneung Ojuk Hanok Village. Billed under the slogan “A Stroll Around the Hanok Village, Following the Scent of Bread,” the festival was organized to expand tourism to the area around Ojukheon and breathe life into nearby businesses. The city plans to build a distinctive tourism brand unique to Gangneung, putting bakeries at the forefront.
Local bakeries and beverage companies will set up throughout the Hanok Village and offer bread and desserts that showcase their individual styles. Traditional experiences from the Ojuk Cluster, busking and celebratory performances will take place throughout the festival. The Signature Bread Awards, “Ojuk: So Good It Wins the Grand Prize,” will also be held, with visitors voting to select the region’s signature bread. Visitors can take part in the activities by booking in advance or registering on-site.
The opening ceremony will be held on the main stage at 5:30 p.m. on the 9th. A commemorative cake will be cut and shared with visitors to mark the start of the festival.
For convenient transportation, free shuttle buses will run regularly from Gangneung Convention Center, which will serve as a hub. The first 100 visitors each day to arrive by shuttle will receive a bread discount coupon, as well as a 20% discount voucher for Onbit Forest.
Bae Gwang-sik, head of Gangneung City’s Tourism Policy Division, said, “With 58 local bakeries baking bread in the lanes of the Hanok Village and visitors choosing the signature bread themselves, the festival will add flavor and fun to an outing to Ojukheon.” He added, “We will continue to develop distinctive content with local bakeries so that bread can become a new face of Gangneung tourism.”

[email protected] Kim Gi-seop Reporter