215,000 Visit Gongju Gunbam Festival and Bam Industry Expo... Highest Attendance Ever

Festival Crowds Fill the Venue Throughout the Event

The 8th Winter Gongju Gunbam Festival and the Korea Chestnut Industry Expo, held in Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do, the hometown of chestnuts, attracted a record-breaking 215,000 visitors.

This broke the previous record set just a year ago, when 150,000 people attended.

As a result, the Gunbam Festival is now recognized as a leading festival in Korea.

This year, the festival’s experience zones, where visitors could roast chestnuts over blazing firewood or grill chestnut-fed Korean beef, chicken skewers, and sausages, were packed with crowds throughout the event.

In particular, the newly created snow playground "Winter Kingdom Snowflake Kingdom," featuring igloos, snowmen, and spinning sleds, was a big hit with children who enjoyed winter activities.

In addition, the Chestnut Industry Expo offered even richer content thanks to systematic preparation and well-organized programs.

The 12 themed exhibition halls, including the regional, corporate, and international pavilions, allowed visitors to see the history and future of the chestnut industry at a glance.

There were also forums and business agreements aimed at fostering international exchange and cooperation in the chestnut industry between Korea and Japan.

At the export consultation meeting, which included international buyers from Japan and Vietnam, as well as domestic buyers and 14 chestnut industry-related companies from Gongju, Hapcheon, Hadong, Buyeo, and more, three business agreements and one export contract were signed.

The direct trade market, featuring 38 chestnut-producing farms and organizations from Gongju and 24 chestnut-processed food companies, was packed with customers, especially those looking to purchase high-quality chestnuts at affordable prices ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.

During the festival, the direct trade market companies recorded sales of over 800 million won.

Mayor Choi Woncheol said, "Now in its eighth year, the Winter Gongju Gunbam Festival has firmly established itself as the leading winter festival in the central region. We will continue to develop it further so that it can lead the domestic chestnut industry and contribute to revitalizing the local economy, in line with its growing reputation."

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