“Come see the fall foliage of the sea” ... Sinan County to hold 3rd Treasure Island Saltwort Festival on Jeungdo

【Financial News, Sinan — Reporter Hwang Tae-jong】“Come see the vast tidal flats of Jeungdo in Sinan and the ‘fall foliage of the sea’ stretching across 11 hectares.”
 Sinan County will hold the 3rd Treasure Island Saltwort Festival from November 4 to 8 at Taepyung Salt Farm on Jeungdo, Asia’s first Slow City.
 Jeungdo, where the festival will take place, is home to a wealth of ecological resources, including a pristine natural environment, Taepyung Salt Farm and protected tidal-flat wetlands. It is part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and was designated Asia’s first Slow City by the International Slow City Federation in 2007.
 Taepyung Salt Farm, in particular, is the country’s largest solar salt-producing area and has been recognized for its value as a modern cultural heritage site. The nearby Salt Museum offers a look at the history and production process of solar salt.
 What’s more, at this year’s festival, visitors can walk across the vast tidal flats around Taepyung Salt Farm and through 11 hectares of native halophyte habitat, where they can see the “fall foliage of the sea”—saltwort, red with autumn color, mingling with other halophytes.
 A Sinan County official said, “I hope you’ll enjoy the charms of the beautiful autumn sea, salt farms and saltwort together.”
 Also being unveiled for the first time at this festival are the exhibition spaces for the art project “Time of Salt” (Nos. 9, 10 and 11 in Section 3). Artists have reimagined the salt warehouses once used to store salt, along with transport tools, as art spaces that reflect the history of salt production and traces of the labor involved.
 The three exhibition spaces are themed “The Beginning of Water,” “Time of Life” and “A Peaceful Farewell.” Discarded wood from plank walkways once used at the salt farm has been recycled to create a pedestrian route at least 200 meters long. Visitors can follow the path to explore all three spaces and discover traces of salt, labor and the lives of Jeungdo’s residents.
 The Treasure Island Saltwort Festival, now in its third edition, is especially meaningful as an eco-cultural festival led by local residents and civic groups, who voluntarily came together to plan and run it. Featured community-participation programs include a celebratory performance by the “Line Dance Team,” which won the grand prize in the Health Promotion Physical Activity Contest at the 2026 Korea Integrative Medicine Expo; a village singing contest featuring county residents and tourists; a treasure hunt for families; and an opportunity to experience traditional salt production in the salt fields.
 A Sinan County official said, “This Saltwort Festival is an event led by local residents and civic groups that authentically captures Jeungdo’s natural environment, residents’ lives and cultural values,” adding, “I hope many people will come and enjoy the programs that residents have prepared with great care.”

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