11th Hongcheon Apple Festival opens; 38 farms set up farm-gate discount market

【Financial News, Hongcheon = Kim Gi-seop, staff writer】The Hongcheon Apple Festival has kicked off, offering an extra apple even to visitors who simply show up wearing red.
According to the Hongcheon Cultural Foundation on the 6th, the 11th Hongcheon Apple Festival opened that day around Tori Forest, part of the Urban Forest Park in Hongcheon-eup, and runs through the 8th, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. This year's slogan is “Hongcheon Apples: The Witch's Beauty Secret,” and 38 farms have set up market stalls.
The giveaway is available not only to visitors wearing red, but also to military personnel in uniform and pregnant women. Red accessories or a red phone case alone do not qualify. Anyone who buys at least 50,000 won worth of apples can receive a voucher and redeem it for two apples.
All 5-kg boxes of apples sold at the festival are 5,000 won cheaper than usual. Fuji and Shinano Gold apples cost 30,000–70,000 won depending on size, while Gamhong apples cost 35,000–75,000 won. A 2-kg bag that customers fill with their choice of apples costs 10,000 won regardless of variety; customers can taste the apples at the farm booths before choosing.


Visitors also need not worry about carrying heavy boxes around. A courier service transports purchased apples to a pickup booth at Riverside Parking Lot, and a parcel-shipping counter accepts orders to send them wherever customers wish. Shuttle buses also run between Tori Forest, major boarding points in downtown Hongcheon-eup, and Riverside Parking Lot.
Activities include a retro arcade, AI robot caricatures, hanging apple-shaped wish lanterns, and drone experiences. The stage will host an apple song contest and contests for peeling an apple into a long strip and eating apples quickly. Singer Bin Ye-seo will give a guerrilla concert on the 7th. On the final day, the festival will wrap up with the Hongcheon Apple King awards ceremony and a raffle drawing.
This year, the Hongcheon-gun Agricultural Machinery Exhibition and Fair is also being held as a side event, where visitors can see and try autonomous weeders, low-clearance tractors, and wearable robots. They can also enjoy apple treats such as apple pie and apple bungeo-ppang, as well as local foods such as Hongchongtteok.
A foundation representative said, “You can get an extra apple just by putting on something red, and leave heavy boxes to the courier and parcel services, so you can come empty-handed and still have everything you need.” The representative added, “The 38 farms are offering apples they have spent the year growing with hard work at farm-gate prices for three days, so we hope many people will visit and support the farmers.”

[email protected] Kim Gi-seop Reporter