Naju City’s ‘Republic of Korea Mahan Culture Festival’ Concludes Successfully... 120,000 Visitors Attended

[Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] Naju City, Jeollanam-do, announced on the 11th that the ‘Republic of Korea Mahan Culture Festival’ was successfully concluded over two days on the 8th and 9th at the National Naju Museum and Bannam Tumuli area.

The Republic of Korea Mahan Culture Festival was held under the theme ‘Naju Feast, Play Mahan!’

According to visitor statistics from the festival evaluation team, 70,000 visitors attended on the first day and 50,000 on the second day.

Despite the festival schedule being shortened from three days to two and the budget scale, the festival layout prioritized visitor flow convenience, the opening ceremony was visitor-centered as if welcoming guests at a feast, and a rich program featuring diverse attractions, food, and experiences was presented, resulting in better-than-expected success.

The most eye-catching event of this festival was undoubtedly the ‘Opening Ceremony’.

The city broke away from the previously rigid ritual-centered format and introduced an opening program that all visitors could enjoy not on the stage but below it, drawing great response.

In particular, the stage seating was arranged not with event chairs but with wooden tables where families of four to five could sit closely together, and unique opening events such as sharing ‘Naju Hansang’ prepared by Cheon Subong, a master of Korean cuisine, and the Obok Sharing Performance wishing for the health and prosperity of citizens and tourists enlivened the festival opening atmosphere.

The festival was enriched by a total of 30 cultural, experiential, sales, and linkage programs across five categories: Mahan ‘Myeongpum’ (Famous Items), ‘Gipum’ (Elegant Items), ‘Jinpum’ (Authentic Items), ‘Jeongpum’ (Premium Items), and ‘Byeolpum’ (Special Items).

At various experience booths such as ‘Mahan Theme Workshop,’ ‘Mahan Relics Workshop,’ and ‘Mahan Primitive Playground,’ where visitors could easily and enjoyably learn about the unfamiliar ancient Mahan history, culture, and lifestyle, the laughter of family visitors with children never ceased.

In the 20,000-pyeong flower complex created behind the museum and around the tumuli area, autumn flowers in full bloom such as cosmos, zinnia, and pink muhly captivated visitors’ hearts, harmonizing with the clear autumn sky.

The 1 km walking trail, benches, and photo zones among the flower beds were crowded with visitors taking memorable photos with family, lovers, and friends.

The opening and closing celebration performances held during the evening over the two days peaked the festival’s autumn night excitement.

Glamorous stages by invited singers such as ‘Ocheon,’ ‘Hyojin Choi,’ ‘Love Ran’ who appeared on Street Man·Woman Fighter, and Jeong Dongwon, Vista, Park Hyeshin, Jo Myungseop representing Mr. Trot made tourists sway their shoulders over the two days.

The city plans to review improvements to festival programs based on visitor satisfaction surveys by age and region from the Mahan Culture Festival and will start a service for analyzing and developing local festival status in the second half of this year to discover and select representative local festivals.

Mayor Yoon Byungtae said, “The Mahan Culture Festival, returning after three years, achieved better-than-expected success as a visitor-centered festive event despite the short two-day schedule by breaking the existing framework. We will continue to foster representative festivals utilizing historical, cultural, and ecological resources to open the era of 5 million tourists.”

Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong baekok@asiae.co.kr