Jeju's Native Chickens Also Join the 'K-Chicken Belt'... 850 Participants Sought for Forest Trail and Lodging Packages

【Financial News, Jeju = Reporter Jeong Yong-bok】 Culinary tourism packages linking Gueom chicken, a native Jeju breed, with forest trails and lodging are being offered in Gyorae-ri, Jeju City. The Jeju program was selected for the government's 'K-Chicken Belt' project and is seeking a total of 850 participants for three travel packages through Dec. 13.
According to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on the 27th, 'Kkokkio Gyorae,' developed under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' '2026 K-Gastronomy Belt Development Project,' began operating on the 24th. Village residents, restaurants and a brewery are taking part in the initiative, which connects tourists' spending on food, activities and lodging with local businesses.
The K-Gastronomy Belt is a government initiative that combines distinctive local foods with tourism resources. This year, four locations were selected as hubs specializing in chicken and chicken dishes: Suwon in Gyeonggi Province, Chuncheon in Gangwon Province, Gumi in North Gyeongsang Province, and Jeju Province. Jeju is making use of rural tourism resources, including native chicken dishes and Samdasoo Forest Trail.
The travel packages comprise two same-day options and one two-day, one-night option. 'Kkokkio Deep Forest Trekking' includes a tour of the Jeju Samdasoo factory, a guided forest trail tour and a chicken shabu-shabu meal. The fee is 50,000 won, and 380 participants are being recruited.
'Kkokkio Egg Adventure,' aimed at families, combines a meal of chicken kalguksu, a forest trail exploration, and activities involving fertilized eggs and baking. The fee is 40,000 won, and 370 participants are being recruited.

The two-day, one-night 'Kkokkio Dining Stay' includes a visit to a Jeju brewery, Gueom chicken dishes and a tasting of traditional liquor, lodging in Gyorae-ri, and chicken gomtang for breakfast. The fee is 300,000 won, and 100 participants are being recruited.
The initiative is being launched as tourism and local spending in Jeju remain sluggish. The number of domestic tourists who visited Jeju from the 1st to the 25th of this month was 796,943, down 12.7% from the same period a year earlier. Card spending in Jeju by domestic tourists also fell 4.8% from January to September this year.
Jeju Province planned the travel itineraries to encourage tourists to visit local restaurants and use activity facilities and lodging establishments.
Jeju Province held preview tours on the 26th and 27th for journalists covering culinary travel and food. It plans to refine the packages based on participants' feedback and continue promoting them to domestic and international tourists through December.
Kim Young-jun, director of Jeju Province's Agriculture, Livestock and Food Bureau, said, "We will support the revitalization of rural economies by expanding culinary tourism that links local food culture with nature-based tourism."
[email protected] Jeong Yong-bok Reporter