‘Cheongsong Apple Festival’ Showcases the True Essence of Korea's Representative Festival

Over 420,000 Visitors Boost Local Economy Effectively

The 17th Cheongsong Apple Festival, which drew a massive crowd and was a great success, came to a grand close on the 5th.

The Cheongsong Apple Festival showcased the true essence of Korea's representative festivals. (Fun apple Nanta performance)

Held over five days from November 1 to November 5 at Yongjeoncheon Hyeonbiam area, the 17th Cheongsong Apple Festival attracted approximately 420,000 visitors like a sea of people, showcasing the qualities of a ‘Cultural Tourism Festival’ designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

With the festival grounds packed with crowds, the festival naturally became lively, and various experience and promotional booths, apple sales booths, and restaurants were bustling with customers, greatly contributing to local income generation and economic revitalization.

Under the theme “Cheongsong Apples, a Brilliant Golden Feast,” this year’s Cheongsong Apple Festival also held an online festival without spatial or temporal limitations, recording 390,000 visitors and 160,000 participants, achieving remarkable success in the online event as well.

One of the representative programs of the Cheongsong Apple Festival, the “National Cheongsong Flower String Weaving Contest,” featured 15 teams?8 from within Cheongsong County and 7 from across the country?creating a rich spectacle. The Cheongsong Dohobu Parade commemorating the 600th anniversary of the county’s founding, the Cheongsong Apple Parade, and the Pungmul (traditional Korean percussion) Contest served as a venue for harmony among residents of the eight towns and townships.

Through various linked events such as the Cheongsong Golden Apple and Pear National High School Ssireum (Korean wrestling) Championship, the Know Your Hometown Cheongsong Quiz Contest, and the Cheongsong Nakdong Jeongmaek Mountain Climbing Competition, the festival was created for people of all ages to enjoy. The 210-pyeong (approximately 690 square meters) apple promotion hall exhibiting and selling Cheongsong apples, apple dishes, and processed apple products, along with 258 booths, offered diverse experiences and unique opportunities, earning high praise.

In particular, on the 4th, despite heavier-than-expected rain, all public officials including County Governor Yoon Kyung-hee actively participated in maintaining the festival grounds, stabilizing the venue. Many tourists praised this as a demonstration of festival management worthy of representing South Korea.

This year’s Cheongsong Apple Festival also featured the sale of stem-unremoved apples, which significantly reduced farmers’ labor costs and improved fruit freshness by not removing the apple stems. Consumers were able to enjoy fresher apples, reaffirming the distinctiveness and excellence of Cheongsong apples as a leading Korean brand.

Above all, this year’s festival created a warm and generous atmosphere by operating a reporting center to eradicate overcharging and unfair commercial practices, and by implementing an on-site booth evaluation system through the festival promotion committee.

Governor Yoon Kyung-hee expressed gratitude to the many visitors, saying, “We will continue to strive tirelessly and do our best to make the Cheongsong Apple Festival loved by more tourists and to provide diverse and differentiated experiences.”

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