'Succeeded in Making the Longest Injeolmi in Korea... 1624m'

Gongju-si Sets Record at 'Injeolmi Festival'
Previous Record Was 1233m in 2010 by Gimje-si

The longest Injeolmi rice cake in Korea was made in Gongju, Chungnam, the hometown of Injeolmi.

Injeolmi Photo by Getty Images

On the 7th, Gongju City announced that it set the official highest record in the category of 'the longest Injeolmi made simultaneously at a single location' at the Injeolmi Festival held at Geumgang Railroad Bridge in Gongju, Chungnam. This record was set in front of thousands of spectators, and the length of the Injeolmi was 1,624 meters. The previous record was 1,233 meters, made at the 2010 Gimje Horizon Festival in Gimje City nationwide, so this new record is 391 meters longer than the previous one.

On the 7th, citizens and tourists were making Injeolmi at the 'Injeolmi Festival' held on the Geumgang Steel Bridge in Gongju-si, Chungnam. The Injeolmi made that day set the official highest record in the Korea Records Institute for the 'longest Injeolmi made simultaneously at a single location.'
[Photo by Gongju City, Yonhap News]

For this event, the city arranged about 180 tables on the Geumgang Railroad Bridge and made the 1,624-meter-long Injeolmi by going back and forth five times over them. To make this Injeolmi, 3 tons of glutinous rice and about 200 citizens and tourists were mobilized. The number '1624' commemorates the year 1624 (the 2nd year of King Injo of Joseon), which is the origin year of the local Gongju food, Injeolmi.

The Korea Records Institute measured the compliance with the record challenge regulations, the Injeolmi production process, and the length, then delivered the official certification to Gongju City.

Choi Won-cheol, mayor of Gongju City, said, "I believe that citizens and tourists enjoyed the festival with one heart through this Korean record challenge," and added, "We will frequently prepare events that citizens and tourists can enjoy together."

On the 7th, at the 'Injeolmi Festival' held on the Geumgang Steel Bridge in Gongju-si, Chungnam, citizens selected as King Muryeong and the queen are making injeolmi.
[Photo by Gongju City, Yonhap News]

The origin of Injeolmi dates back to 1624 when King Injo temporarily stayed at Gongsanseong Fortress in Gongju to escape Yi Gwal's Rebellion. At that time, a commoner presented rice cakes coated with soybean powder. King Injo, who was starving, enjoyed the rice cake and asked his ministers the name of the rice cake, but no one knew. Then the king heard that the rice cake was made by a commoner with the surname Im and said, "Since it is an excellent taste made by Im, it would be good to call it 'Imjeolmi' (Im's excellent taste)." This is the origin story passed down.

'Imjeolmi' was later changed to 'Injeolmi' for easier pronunciation, and in Gongju City, it is also called 'Gongju Tteok.' In 2016, Gongju City secured intellectual property rights by registering the Gongju Injeolmi trademark as a 'geographical indication collective mark' with the Korean Intellectual Property Office.