[Report] "Last Year Was Harim's Feast... This Year, It's Going to Be Done Right"

'NS Food Festa 2023 in Iksan' On-site
Over 5,000 Visitors Despite Inclement Weather
See, Taste, Enjoy... A Festival Feast

"If doing in two days what we used to do in one day goes well, it will be good for our local community."

On the morning of the 15th, after catching a taxi at Iksan Station in Jeonbuk and stating the destination, the driver said this. The destination was 'Harim First Kitchen' located in the 4th Industrial Complex in Hamyeol-eup, Iksan. On this day, the food festival 'NS Food Festa' was held there. This event was held in Iksan for the second time following last October. The taxi driver said, "Last year, (Kim Hong-guk) Harim Chairman came out, gave a speech, handed out gifts, and it was just a Harim party, but this time, it seems they are doing it properly."

The largest food festival in Korea, 'NS Food Festa 2023,' kicked off on the 15th at Harim First Kitchen in Iksan, Jeonbuk. The organizers estimated that about 5,000 people attended on the first day of the event. The photo shows outdoor booths set up at the NS Food Festa venue.
[Photo by NS Home Shopping]

It rained in Iksan that day. Humidity fluctuated between 90-100%. It was not good weather for the event. The taxi driver also seemed concerned about the weather. "I wonder if many people came." It was a needless worry. From the prize booth near the entrance, it was crowded with people. "Wow~, Kya~. Congratulations, ma'am. It's not easy to get this." The place smelled like rural cow dung. Nearby residential facilities were only farms raising cows. Yet, people kept coming from somewhere without stopping.

Since its inception in 2008, NS Food Festa has held a cooking contest as the main event every year. The purpose is to discover recipes to promote consumption of our food and contribute to the growth of rural and fishing villages. This year, the contest was held again. 100 teams, each consisting of two people, participated. The grand prize was awarded to the team of 'Choi Jin-hyuk and Kim Ji-hyun.' They received 30 million won for their recipe 'Healthy Iksan Sweet Potato Rice Gnocchi.'

One hundred teams participating in the gourmet recipe contest are competing under the theme "The Most Delicious Recipe Using Fresh Natural Ingredients."
[Photo by NS Home Shopping]

This year, the cooking contest was held once more. It was a contest to select the ramen cooking king made with rice flour. Ten participants competed in front of Jeong Hwang-geun, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, who has been actively promoting rice flour distribution since taking office. Minister Jeong also participated as a taster. After tasting the chicken feet bibim noodles made by participant number 7, Jo Eun-hee, Minister Jeong praised, "It's chewy and really delicious," adding, "No words needed, just try it once."

Jo, who made the chicken feet bibim noodles, said, "We wanted to make a different kind of ramen, so we made bibim noodles," and added, "Since it was rice flour ramen, the noodles seemed tastier." Introducing herself as a student in the Department of Food Service and Culinary Arts at Wonkwang University, Jo gave her own dish a score of 9 out of 10. However, the chicken feet bibim noodles unfortunately did not make the award list. The first place honor went to participant number 4, Yoo Min-seo, for the 'Rice Flour Vegan Ramen.'

Minister Jeong Hwang-geun of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (left) and Kim Hong-guk, Chairman of Harim, are tasting Dakbal Bibimmyun at the Powdered Rice Ramen Cooking King Contest.
[Photo by NS Home Shopping]

Outdoors, 23 booths for exhibitions, experiences, tasting, and sales were operated. At sales booths such as the local food market, discount sales were in full swing ahead of Chuseok. Among the experience booths, the NS Food Safety Research Institute enjoyed high popularity among middle-aged and older visitors. Using devices employed for hygiene inspections at manufacturing sites, they measured how contaminated visitors' palms were. "Usually, if the value is below 1000, it means it is being managed cleanly. The current value is 415, so you are managing it cleanly."

The organizer, NS Home Shopping, estimated that about 5,000 people visited the venue that day. An NS Home Shopping official said, "The pouring rain stopped, and everyone was able to finish the event as an enjoyable festival." Moon Sang-jun, who visited the event, said, "There were many innovative foods, and unlike other tasting corners, they gave generous amounts of food, so I ate a lot deliciously while walking around," adding, "I plan to visit again next year."

On the closing day of the event, the 16th, various conferences and side events looking at the future of the food industry are scheduled to take place. Also, cooking classes for multicultural families will continue. Jo Hang-mok, CEO of NS Shopping, stated, "NS Food Festa has been striving for the development of the domestic food industry and agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industries," and added, "We will further develop NS Food Festa to diversify food culture content and take the lead in revitalizing the Korean food industry."