The 15th Maponaru Saeujeot Festival Attracts About 720,000 Visitors... Sales Reach 1.7 Billion Won

Visitor Increase of 50,000 Compared to 2019, 1.7 Billion KRW Sales from 40 Market Booths (700 Million KRW from Saeujeot)... Domestic Saeujeot Inspected Before Market Entry... Housewives Evaluation Team Monitors Price and Quality Daily... Proving 'A Multigenerational Cultural Tourism Festival' Where Tradition and Modernity Coexist, and Urban-Rural Win-Win... Popular Singer Lee Chan-won’s Performance Comforts Residents Exhausted by COVID-19, Receiving Great Response

Salted Shrimp Sales Store

Mayor Park Gang-su of Mapo District dressed as a Sato in the Sato Procession Parade

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The 15th Mapo Naru Salted Shrimp Festival, held over three days from the 14th to the 16th at the Peace Plaza area of World Cup Park, concluded successfully.

It was a time to see the original form of the Mapo Naru Salted Shrimp Festival, which features food, sights, and entertainment, recreating the prosperity of the old Mapo Naru after three years.

Approximately 720,000 visitors attended the festival, and the 40 market booths, including those selling salted shrimp, recorded sales of 1.7 billion KRW.

Regarding this, Mapo-gu provided additional explanation that compared to the festival three years ago in 2019, which was of a similar scale, the number of visitors increased by about 50,000, and the transaction amount at the market booths rose by 187 million KRW according to official statistics.

"This appears to be due to the lifting of social distancing measures caused by COVID-19, leading to a compensatory psychology for previously restricted outdoor activities, resulting in more visitors than before," they added.

At the salted shrimp market, 15 companies from six famous production areas nationwide?Gang-gyeong, Gwangcheon, Boryeong, Sorae, Sinan, and Buan?participated, selling about 700 million KRW worth of salted shrimp.

In particular, the salted shrimp sold at the market were inspected by experts for domestic products the day before the festival and then brought into the festival site. During the festival, a panel of six housewives monitored prices and quality on-site daily, paying special attention to food safety and quality management more than ever before.

A district official explained, "Although there were price differences depending on the production area and product quality, the salted shrimp were sold at prices 10-15% lower than the average market price. Premium products like Yukjeot were traded at around 60,000 to 70,000 KRW per kilogram, other types of salted shrimp at 40,000 KRW, and Chujeot, mainly used for kimchi making, at about 15,000 KRW."

Fifteen regions nationwide, including Yecheon in Gyeongbuk, Gochang in Jeonbuk, Cheongyang in Chungnam, and Wando in Jeonnam, participated by selling local specialties such as fruits, grains, seaweed, sauces, and dried seafood. The 16 direct transaction market booths earned 600 million KRW, while six food booths and three food trucks generated 400 million KRW in revenue.

This year as well, various age groups participated in experience events themed around salted shrimp gathered in Mapo, receiving positive responses. Especially, the barehanded shrimp catching, salted shrimp making, and salted shrimp kimchi making events, held continuously for three days, attracted a long line of applicants again this year.

Notably, the final events of the three-day festival?the "Good Concert with D'Live," the "K-pop Legend Chronicle Performance," and the "Trot Song Festival"?featured appearances by Lee Chan-won, Kim Kyung-ho, Park Mi-kyung, Kim Heung-guk, and Park Sang-min, drawing great enthusiasm.

Park Kang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, "Due to ongoing activities to withdraw the selection of the incineration plant site, which is currently the biggest issue in Mapo-gu, I was deeply concerned about whether to hold this Mapo Naru Salted Shrimp Festival or not."

He continued, "A survey conducted among residents throughout Mapo showed that many more residents wanted the festival to be held, so we reflected this and decided to proceed with the festival. I am very grateful that so many residents visited the festival site, enjoyed themselves enthusiastically, and that it concluded without any major incidents. We will work hard to prepare for an even more substantial festival next year."

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