"What to Do with the '500 Million Won Burden' Cauldron... 'The Prize Money Is 3.3 Million Won'"

16 Years of Neglect... A Symbol of Budget Waste 'Dishonor'
Chungbuk Province Public Contest for Feasible Ideas

On the 12th, Chungbuk Province announced a nationwide idea contest to find ways to utilize the 'Goesan Giant Cauldron' as a tourism resource.

This is to find ways to make use of the oversized cauldron, which has been treated as a burden for 16 years at the Gocho Distribution Center Square in Goesan-eup. The cauldron has a diameter of 5.68 m, a height of 2.2 m, a circumference of 17.8 m, and a thickness of 5 cm, with the cast iron used in its production weighing 43.5 tons. It is the largest cauldron in South Korea.

A giant cauldron installed in the plaza of the Goesan-gun Chili Pepper Distribution Center.
Photo by Yonhap News

In 2003, then County Governor Kim Moon-bae raised over 500 million won through donations to promote national unity and commissioned its production. After two years of manufacturing and several failures, the cauldron was finally completed in 2005.

However, the cauldron was difficult to utilize. Attempts to cook rice, corn, and red bean porridge for community unity failed because the thick bottom caused a large temperature difference between the top and bottom. When cooking rice, the bottom would burn while the top remained undercooked, resulting in "three-layer rice."

Since 2007, such events were discontinued, and tourists who came to see the giant cauldron stopped visiting, leading to its recent notoriety as a prime example of local government budget waste.

There were suggestions to move the cauldron to another location for tourism purposes, but the plan fell through due to the enormous relocation costs and safety concerns.

With no clear alternatives, Chungbuk Province decided to gather fresh ideas through a nationwide contest. If practical proposals emerge from the contest, the province plans to work with Goesan County to develop the project in detail.

Ideas can be submitted in person or by mail to the Legal Innovation Office of Chungbuk Province by the 23rd. After evaluation, prizes will be awarded: one grand prize of 1 million won, two excellence prizes of 700,000 won each, and three encouragement prizes of 300,000 won each.

An official from the province stated, "This is part of a province-city-county linked project to utilize neglected rural tourism and cultural resources," and added, "We ask for your active interest and participation."

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