Hongcheon Ginseng and Korean Beef Premium Festival draws 100,000 over four days, generates 1.5 billion won in sales

【Financial News, Hongcheon = Reporter Kim Ki-seop】Hongcheon’s signature fall festival, which offered six-year-grown ginseng and Neulpureum Korean beef at up to half price, drew 100,000 visitors over four days and generated 1.5 billion won in sales.
According to the Hongcheon Cultural Foundation on the 12th, the 24th Hongcheon Ginseng and Korean Beef Premium Festival was held from the 8th to the 11th in and around Tori Forest at Hongcheon Urban Forest Park. The foundation estimated total sales of about 1.5 billion won from ginseng, Korean beef, agricultural specialties, food and other products during the festival, and plans to carry the momentum into next month’s Hongcheon Apple Festival.
This year’s festival adopted “Healthy Ginseng! Excellent Beef!” as its slogan and focused on delivering both quality and value. Prices for fresh ginseng were reduced by at least 21%, depending on the product, while No. 4 and No. 5 ginseng were sold at half price. Neulpureum Korean beef was also discounted by 15% to 50%, depending on the cut and product, and the sales area was crowded with shoppers throughout the festival.
At the opening ceremony on the first day, a performance portrayed the care farmers put into growing ginseng for six years and raising Korean beef cattle for 30 months. Choi Seung-deok (Seo-myeon), Kim Min-jung (Hongcheon-eup) and Yu Jang-bok (Seoseok-myeon) were named Ginseng Kings. The Korean Beef King titles went to Yeon Cheol-mo (Seoseok-myeon) in the breeding category, Park Dong-chun (Nam-myeon) in the brand category and Park Byeong-so (Seoseok-myeon) in the premium meat category.
Visitors seeking special treats flocked to the ginseng fritter and Korean beef bulgogi stalls, while local restaurants served regional dishes such as ginseng kimchi pancakes, ginseng ox-head soup and ginseng makgeolli. Lines formed even before the start of the annual favorites, the ginseng auction and the “10,000-Won Happiness” event for Korean beef soup bones. To ease congestion and distribute opportunities more evenly, the foundation introduced ways to take part that included presenting a purchase receipt or completing a mission as a family or couple.
The ginseng-and-beef cookie workshop, introduced for the first time this year, proved popular with families, as children and parents could shape and decorate cookies together and take them home. Activities also included making Korean beef masks, an alkkagi disk-flicking tournament and pipe-cleaner doll making.


The Neulpureum Korean Beef and Gangwon Ginseng Nonghyup promotional centers, along with the Korean Beef Checkoff promotion and experience center, highlighted the quality and competitiveness of Hongcheon’s agricultural and livestock products. Information booths for tourism, relocation to rural areas and youth startups, as well as booths run by local organizations such as the Hongcheon Chapter of the Photographic Society of Korea, introduced visitors to life and culture in Hongcheon.
After sunset, the special stage at Tori Forest kept the festival atmosphere going. At the Hongcheongang Song Festival on the 8th, Bang Seung-hee (Hongcheon-eup), who sang Maya’s “A Flower Yet to Bloom,” won the grand prize. Jang Eun-ja (Duchon-myeon) took gold, Yu Yong-ja (Nae-myeon) silver, Yu Seong-ryeol (Seoseok-myeon) bronze, and Kim Hong-gi (Seo-myeon) the popularity award.
On the evening of the 9th, the Love Sharing Concert was staged with talent donated by groups including Audrey Angels and Kill the Dance. On the 10th, the One Heart Concert, held alongside the Hongcheon Comprehensive Arts Festival, drew cheers from the audience. Performers included Hongcheon-born singers Lee Jin and Song Eun-su, as well as Dooldaseot, Baek Mi-hyeon, Guk Sang-hyeon, Kim Yeon-suk, Jeon Yeong-rok and Kim Su-hui.
During the day on the 9th, diplomatic delegations from several countries, including Italy and Bolivia, visited the festival grounds. They tried making ginseng-and-Korean-beef cookies and sampling Korean beef, and visited the Hongcheon Art Museum, experiencing Hongcheon’s food and culture.
The foundation improved price transparency by publishing menus, prices and weights in advance on the Food Alio system on the Korea Tourism Organization’s Visit Korea platform. It ran shuttle buses connecting major points in the county and promoted an eco-friendly, car-free festival campaign. A pet rest area was set up at the gateball court near the Korean beef self-service restaurant, and a parcel drop-off counter that accepted shipments even on holidays was established at the festival grounds.


On the first day of the festival, a folk event for the 2026 Civilian-Government-Military Harmony Gathering was also held along the main road near Kkotmoe Park, bringing together the county’s 10 towns and townships, institutions and military units. The B team of the 20th Armored Brigade won the traditional tug-of-war, with the brigade’s A team and a unit directly under the 11th Maneuver Division placing second and third. In the strategic tug-of-war, Seoseok-myeon placed first, followed by Hongcheon-eup and Seo-myeon.
Nam-myeon topped the survival relay with a time of 1 minute 37 seconds, followed by Hwacheon-myeon and Yeonggwimi-myeon. The 13th Brigade of the 11th Maneuver Division won the One Heart Foot Volleyball Tournament, while the division’s 9th Brigade and the A team of the 3rd Armored Brigade placed second and third. In the ginseng makgeolli speed-drinking contest, Seo-myeon placed first, followed by Hongcheon-eup and Naechon-myeon. The gold-ring event’s lucky draws went to Hongcheon-eup, Hwacheon-myeon, Naechon-myeon, Seo-myeon and Nam-myeon.
On the final day, a raffle was held for visitors who had spent at least 50,000 won on ginseng or Korean beef. Forty people received premium Korean beef and red ginseng sets, bringing the four-day festival to a close.
Jeon Myeong-jun, chairman of the Hongcheon Cultural Foundation, said, “It was a festival where 100,000 visitors could see for themselves the value of ginseng grown for six years and Korean beef raised with 30 months of care.” He added, “We will further refine our visitor-focused approach, including receipt-based missions and publishing food information in advance, and develop this into a premium festival that provides tangible support for farm incomes and local businesses.”

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