Yeongyang-gun Successfully Concludes the 2nd Subi Neungi Festival

The "2nd Subi Neungi Festival," held from the 6th to the 8th in the Subi-myeon area of Yeongyang-gun, Gyeongbuk, concluded successfully with active participation from local residents and tourists.

Yeongyang-gun Successfully Concludes the 2nd Subi Neungi Festival.

According to Kim Geoyeon, chairman of the organizing committee, around 10,000 tourists and consumers visited the festival during the event period. The main specialty product of the festival, Neungi mushrooms, generated sales of 1.5 billion KRW, and the purchase of local agricultural and specialty products such as Yeongyang chili peppers and dried wild greens continued, resulting in a direct and indirect economic effect of 3.5 billion KRW.

The Subi Neungi Festival was planned to promote and market local specialty products by leveraging the geographical advantage of Subi-myeon, the main production area of Neungi mushrooms. It is significant that the festival was successfully carried out through the ideas and voluntary participation of the residents.

Hosted by the Subi Neungi Festival Organizing Committee and organized by the Yeongyang Festival Tourism Foundation, this event featured food and specialty product markets centered around Neungi mushrooms grown on the slopes of Irwol Mountain. Over the three days of the event, various programs were held, including an opening ceremony, pungmul nori (traditional Korean percussion performance), Neungi noodle sharing event, invited performances, a beer drinking contest, and a Makgeolli festival.

This year’s festival saw high popularity for various dishes made with Neungi mushrooms, such as Neungi baeksuk (boiled chicken with Neungi mushrooms), Neungi dongdongju (traditional rice wine with Neungi mushrooms), and Neungi muchim (seasoned Neungi mushrooms). Despite the lower harvest due to abnormal weather conditions this year, many tourists purchased Neungi mushrooms with both hands at reasonable prices, creating a remarkable scene.

Chairman Kim Geoyeon remarked, “Thanks to the residents of Subi-myeon who willingly participated in the festival and provided mushrooms at prices lower than market value, we were able to successfully conclude the event. This created an opportunity to highlight the excellence of Neungi mushrooms grown in the pristine area of Subi-myeon.”

County Governor Oh Dochang stated, “This festival, utilizing the specialty product of the Subi area, Neungi mushrooms, was created to promote national health and safe food. We promise to support the development of next year’s Neungi Mushroom Festival into a county-level festival.”