Successful Conclusion of the 17th Maponaru Saeujeot Festival as a Leap to a 'Global Festival'...750,000 Visitors · 1.52 Billion KRW Sales

Issue at Hongdae Red Road Pre-Festival on the 17th with Locals and Foreigners Together... 750,000 Enjoy Festival Over Four Days
250,000 Reusable Containers Used Instead of Disposable Ones... Leading Eco-Friendly Festival by Greatly Reducing Incinerated Waste
Local Agricultural and Marine Products Market Sales Total 1.52 Billion KRW Over 3 Days Including Saeujeot... Market Crowded for Kimjang Season
First ‘Filial Piety Table Marathon’, Pet Dog Contest and Other Unique Festival Attractions Abundant
Mayor Park Gang-su: “A Festival of Tradition and Harmony in Mapo-gu and a First Step to the World... More Diverse Next Year

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo District, announcing the opening of the 17th Mapo Naru Saeujeot Festival via Daebuk Tago

The 17th Mapo Naru Saeujeot Festival, held from the 18th to the 20th at the Peace Plaza area of World Cup Park, concluded successfully with enthusiastic responses.

Opening under the catchy slogan "Let's go to Mapo Naru, let's taste Mapo Saeujeot," this year's Saeujeot Festival aimed not only to be a festival unique to Mapo-gu but also to step onto the global stage. It ended as a more meaningful festival by presenting a wide range of participatory events that anyone, regardless of age or nationality, could enjoy, along with a high-quality eco-friendly festival culture worthy of pride worldwide.

The eve of the 17th Mapo Naru Saeujeot Festival held on the evening of the 17th at Hongdae Red Road

■ Festival Stage Expanded to Hongdae Red Road, Pre-Event Draws Attention from Domestic and Foreign Tourists

Mapo-gu held a pre-event on the 17th at Hongdae Red Road, allowing people to enjoy the Saeujeot Festival a day earlier. From R1 to R6 on the Red Road, the most popular spot among foreign tourists in Korea, a traditional military band and pungmul troupe marched along a 2.4 km route, promoting the Saeujeot Festival and the excitement of Korean tradition to the world. The 'Red Road Foreigners' Talent Show' and the pre-event concert ended with a spectacular DJ festival, captivating not only foreigners but also the tastes of the MZ generation.

On the 19th, during the festival, a street yoga event was held at Hongdae Red Road R1. Expanding the festival venue to Red Road served as an opportunity to showcase the excellence of Korea's traditional culture and contemporary arts to the world. Especially, the high interest from foreigners continued to the festival site the next day, making the Mapo Naru Saeujeot Festival, including the pre-event, a popular festival visited by about 750,000 people.

■ No Disposable Items at All Food Stalls! Record High of 250,000 Reusable Containers Used Over 3 Days

During the three days of the festival, Mapo-gu led the reduction of household waste and promoted an eco-friendly festival culture by using reusable containers instead of disposable items. These containers were thoroughly managed to be safely reused after cleaning and sterilization by professional companies.

This year, the use of reusable containers was expanded not only to plates and utensils at the food stalls but also to beverage cups.

Throughout the festival, the district officials regularly inspected the use of disposable items across the entire festival site and also checked the fixed pricing system at food stalls to prevent overcharging.

Yoon Young-ok from the Saemaeul Women's Association, who operated the food stalls, said, "Using reusable containers was not as cumbersome as expected, and customers at the stalls used them without any resistance."

A representative from the Mapo-gu Facilities Management Corporation, responsible for waste collection at the festival site, also stated, "Compared to before, festival waste has significantly decreased," and expressed hope that such eco-friendly festivals would become established nationwide.

The district estimated that a total of 250,000 reusable containers were used over the three days and plans to continue expanding this eco-friendly festival operation to lead a zero-waste festival culture.

Citizens Visiting the Saeujeot Store

■ Saeujeot from 6 Famous Production Areas, 42 Regional Specialty and Food Stalls, Sales Revenue of 1.5 Billion KRW

Despite heavy rain and chilly weather on the first day of the festival, 42 sales booths, including those selling Saeujeot, recorded total sales of 1.52 billion KRW.

At the Saeujeot market, where eight companies from six famous production areas?Gang-gyeong, Gwangcheon, Boryeong, Sinan, Buan, and Sorae?participated, approximately 620 million KRW worth of Saeujeot was sold.

This year's Saeujeot was prepared at prices 10-15% lower than the average market price. Premium Yukjeot was traded at around 50,000 KRW per kg, Ojeot at 30,000 KRW, and Chujeot, mainly used for kimchi-making, at about 15,000 KRW.

The sales market, composed of domestically produced Saeujeot selected through prior quality inspection, was crowded with many visitors during the kimchi-making season. During the festival, the Saeujeot monitoring team conducted origin verification and quality inspections to maintain trust in the food.

Regions including Ongjin in Incheon, Gochang in Jeonbuk, Yecheon in Gyeongbuk, Cheongyang in Chungnam, Wando in Jeonnam, and Namhae-gun in Gyeongnam participated, selling local specialties such as fruits, grains, seaweed, sauces, and dried seafood. At the 18 direct-trade booths, sales reached 580 million KRW, while 11 food stalls and 5 food trucks earned 320 million KRW in sales revenue.

■ Filial Piety Table Marathon, Cute Pet Contest, Large Concert and Fireworks... A Festival Capturing Both Fun and Sharing

This year’s festival introduced new programs for the first time, including the Filial Piety Table Marathon, Cute Pet Contest, and Zumba Dance Competition. The Filial Piety Table Marathon attracted about 6,000 participants, with part of the proceeds donated to the Mapo Welfare Foundation to support neighbors in need. The Cute Pet Contest and Zumba Dance also captured visitors' attention, providing fresh entertainment. With more programs that anyone, including foreigners and people of all ages, could enjoy, the festival was praised as a "festival to enjoy and share together."

True to its reputation as a city of music, dance, and passion, busking performances and the "Lee Sang-hee & Friends Classical Concert" held at the waterside stage of Peace Plaza allowed attendees to fully experience the autumn night atmosphere. The "Singing Korea" event, where residents took the microphone to showcase their talents, received enthusiastic responses with overflowing participation. Popular singers such as Kang Jin, Jaeha, Hyunsook, and Yujina also performed throughout the festival.

On the final evening of the 20th, the closing ceremony featured passionate performances by renowned singers including Park Seo-jin and Na Sang-do, adding warmth to the chilly autumn night. Singer Lee Chan-won's flavorful singing and a spectacular fireworks display brilliantly concluded the 17th Mapo Naru Saeujeot Festival.

Park Kang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, "This year’s Mapo Naru Saeujeot Festival has grown into a festival enjoyed not only by 370,000 Mapo residents but also by people worldwide," adding, "We will do our best to prepare so that more domestic and foreign tourists can visit the Mapo Naru Saeujeot Festival and fully enjoy the taste and culture of Korea."

He continued, "Despite the bad weather, I am truly pleased that the Mapo Naru Saeujeot Festival safely concluded with unprecedented enthusiasm, and I sincerely thank everyone who actively cooperated to make this a zero-disposable-item festival."

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