Was 'Ppalgan Odeng' a Local Specialty? ... A Unique Festival Opens in Jecheon from the 28th

The event venue will be decorated as a street of food stalls
Unique foods such as Red Odeng, Mala Odeng, and Snow Cheese Red Odeng will be sold
Various events will also be held

Jecheon City in Chungbuk Province will hold the '2025 Jecheon Red Odeng Festival' from the 28th of this month to the 3rd of next month at Jecheon Station Plaza. This festival is organized to revitalize the local economy, which has been stagnant, and to widely promote the local specialty, 'Red Odeng.'

Red fish cake representing Jecheon, Chungbuk. Provided by Jecheon City

This festival, themed around Red Odeng, is being held for the first time this year. Jecheon's Red Odeng is a snack made by simmering skewered fish cakes in a bright red broth made with chili peppers instead of anchovy stock. It is usually sold skewered on wooden sticks. The city claims that Jecheon is the 'original' since Red Odeng first appeared in the 1980s at street stalls near Jecheon Jungang Market in Jungang-ro 1-ga and then spread nationwide.

The event venue will be decorated as a street of food stalls reminiscent of old memories. Twenty-five restaurants will participate in this street, offering a variety of foods such as Red Odeng, Snow Cheese Red Odeng, Potato Pancakes, Octopus Skewers, and Mala Odeng.

There will also be a food fight challenge to see who can eat 'Red Odeng' the fastest. The winner will receive a suite room accommodation voucher at the National Pension Service Cheongpung Resort. Side events such as magic shows, bubble shows, grilling garaetteok (rice cakes), and dalgona (Korean sugar candy) experiences will also be held.

Jecheon Red Fish Cake Festival Poster. Provided by Jecheon City

On the opening day, the 28th, a gourmet city proclamation ceremony will be held at 3 p.m., and trot singers Kim Dana and Lee Chanseong are expected to liven up the festival atmosphere. On the 7th, the city also held a 'Guerrilla Gourmet Meeting' near Hongdae Entrance Station in Seoul, offering free Red Odeng. Mayor Kim Chang-gyu said, "The Red Odeng Festival, held for the first time this year, is a festival created together by local residents and tourists, where they can experience Jecheon's spicy flavors and culture."

Although 'Odeng' is a Japanese word, in Jecheon it has become firmly established as 'Red Odeng.' To foster Red Odeng as a representative local food, the city completed trademark registration for 'Jecheon Red Odeng' with the Korean Intellectual Property Office in 2021.

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