The 15th Maponaru Saeujeot Festival Begins... Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, Declares Opening

The 15th Maponaru Saeujeot Festival Held from 14th to 16th at World Cup Park Peace Plaza Area

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu (center), identifying salted fermented shrimp (saeujeot)

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] "Pass (Tong)!"

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo District Office, dressed as a local magistrate, completed the inspection of salted shrimp brought from famous production areas nationwide and permitted the entry of the yellow sailboat loaded with salted shrimp.

On the morning of the 14th, the 15th Mapo Naru Salted Shrimp Festival kicked off energetically with the magistrate parade and the reenactment of the yellow sailboat's arrival.

The 15th Mapo Naru Salted Shrimp Festival will be held for three days from the 14th to the 16th around the Peace Plaza in World Cup Park.

Now in its 15th year, this festival is hosted by Mapo District (Mayor Park Gang-su) and organized by the Mapo Cultural Center (Director Choi Jae-hong).

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, beating a drum to announce the opening of the Saeujeot Festival (right)

Modernization of Old Mapo Naru... Recreating the Old Mapo Port Scene Including the Arrival of the Yellow Sailboat

The festival began with the ‘Mapo Naru Magistrate Parade’ welcoming the arrival of salted shrimp. The street procession, recreating the harbor culture, stretched from Mapo District Office Plaza to the Peace Plaza in World Cup Park, with about 200 participants including magistrates, peddlers, port workers, traditional military bands, and local residents.

To recreate the old Mapo Naru, 15 LED yellow sailboat lanterns were floated on Nanji Pond in Peace Plaza throughout the festival. A hands-on Mapo Naru market was set up featuring traditional games (tuho, seesaw, jegichagi), traditional crafts (fan making, sotdae making), and hanbok wearing experiences, including at Mapo Hakdang.

There were also many experience events themed around salted shrimp gathered in Mapo. Shrimp catching, salted shrimp making, and salted shrimp kimchi making were operated throughout the three days. (Experience fee: 3,000 KRW)

At the night photo spot section called ‘Mapo Palgyeong Road,’ unique lighting was combined with street lamps to offer visitors a different kind of enjoyment.

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, participating in the Sato Parade at the Saeujeot Festival

Salted Shrimp from Famous Production Areas 10-15% Cheaper than Market Price... Experts Dispatched for Price and Quality Supervision

The salted shrimp market, which sold about 906.5 million KRW worth of salted seafood over three days in 2019, resumed after three years.

This year, 15 companies from six famous production areas nationwide?Gang-gyeong, Gwangcheon, Boryeong, Sorae, Sinan, and Buan?are participating. Although prices vary depending on the production area and product quality, buyers can purchase salted shrimp at prices 10-15% lower than the average market price.

The district office selected the vendors after strict screening by salted shrimp experts recommended by the respective local governments to ensure the supply of high-quality salted shrimp.

In particular, to maintain food safety that consumers worry about, experts will be dispatched during the festival period to verify domestic products and manage and supervise prices and quality, solidifying the festival’s position as Korea’s representative salted shrimp market.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.