Yeoncheon Job's Tears Festival Draws 150,000 Visitors, Stands Out as a Regional Economic Festival for Mutual Growth

Yeoncheon County Surpasses 1 Billion Won in Sales
Proving the "Festival-Driven Regional Economic Model"

Yeoncheon County in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 31st that it had successfully hosted the "4th Yeoncheon Job's Tears Festival (Agricultural Specialty Products Market)" for three days from the 24th to the 26th at the Jeongok-ri Archaeological Site.

Yeoncheon County has been successfully hosting the "4th Yeoncheon Job's Tears Festival (Agricultural Specialty Products Market)" for three days from the 24th to the 26th at the Jeongok-ri Archaeological Site. Provided by Yeoncheon County

This year's festival, held under the theme "Clean Yeoncheon, Home of Job's Tears," saw the participation of over 100 farms and organizations, operating more than 200 agricultural specialty product booths. Approximately 150,000 visitors attended, resulting in total sales of 1.098 billion won.

A key feature of this year's festival was the significant expansion of booths dedicated to processed foods and agricultural specialty products centered on Job's tears, Yeoncheon's representative crop. At the "Job's Tears Market," a wide variety of processed products such as Job's tears latte, Job's tears rice cakes, Job's tears cosmetics, and Job's tears tea were exhibited and sold. The "Job's Tears Tofu Tasting Hall," where visitors could sample tofu made from locally grown Job's tears and soybeans, was especially popular.

In addition, the festival offered a range of family-friendly programs, including promotional halls for Yeoncheon apples and Yeonjin rice, the Job's Tears Village New Liquor Tavern, pork and chicken consumption promotion events, a smart agricultural machinery exhibition, and the "Chaeniappa's Job's Tears Playground" YouTube event, all of which received enthusiastic responses from visitors.

This year's festival evolved beyond a simple sales event into a regional, mutually-beneficial agricultural festival. By linking with other events such as the Chrysanthemum Festival, the Imjin River Kochia Garden, and the Yeoncheon City Tour, the average length of stay for tourists increased. Additional activities, including discount sales by local organizations such as the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and the Livestock Cooperative Federation, YouTuber live broadcasts, and receipt-based prize events, further encouraged visitor participation. Notably, the county promoted the Job's tears processing industry by offering products such as "Yeoncheon Job's Tears Instant Rice" and "Yeoncheon 3+8 Grain Roll," which were developed through county-led initiatives, as prizes.

Marking its fourth year, the Yeoncheon Job's Tears Festival continued its growth, with sales rising 9.4% year-on-year (from 1.04 billion won in 2024 to 1.098 billion won in 2025) and the number of visitors increasing by 10,000 (from 140,000 to 150,000), establishing itself as an "economic festival created by local farmers and consumers together."

However, some issues were raised, including lawn damage due to pre-festival rainfall, a shortage of portable toilets, and limitations in electrical capacity. In response, the county plans to adjust the venue, improve facilities, expand experiential programs, and intensify promotional efforts (especially in Seoul and northern Gyeonggi Province) starting next year.

Kim Deokhyeon, Mayor of Yeoncheon County, stated, "The Job's Tears Festival has established itself as a platform that goes beyond a simple sales event, driving market expansion for local farms and revitalizing the processing industry. Next year, we plan to further develop the festival by strengthening experiential content for children and families and introducing a quality-focused farm selection system to enhance its prestige."

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