[Digging Travel] Eat Mulgalbi, Shop, and Take 인증샷... 'Fail-Proof Travel Destination' Jeonju

⑩Jeonju, a City of Flavor and Style, Emerging as a Shopping Destination
'Jeonbuk Shopping Travel Lounge' Enhances Travel Fun
Charming Character 'Hosaweon' Gains Nationwide Emoticon Popularity
Must-Visit Local Eateries, from Bibimbap to Mulgalbi

Many cities come to mind and are forgotten as domestic travel destinations, but Jeonju has been imprinted on the public as a place with "no failures." This is because it is a travel destination full of taste and style, known as a city of art and culture (藝鄕) where traditional hanok villages, sound festivals, and film festivals flow with culture and art. Now, Jeonju is preparing for a new leap as a shopping tourism hotspot. It has officially launched activities by opening the 'Jeonbuk Shopping Travel Lounge' to revitalize tourism in the old downtown area, featuring special souvenirs inspired by works of local artists.

[Digging Travel] Eat Mulgalbi, Shop, and Take 인증샷... 'Fail-Proof Travel Destination' Jeonju

Snow-covered Jeonju Hanok Village scenery. [Photo by Jeonju City]

"The Shopping Travel Lounge is not only a space where you can find various souvenirs but also serves as a resting place for travelers," said Kim Beom-seok, Marketing Team Leader at the Jeonbuk Culture and Tourism Foundation, introducing the lounge space. He explained, "Jeonju's old downtown, where the lounge is located, is an area with a variety of food, sights, and things to enjoy. Especially, if you stroll around the old streets surrounding the Shopping Travel Lounge, you can enjoy a special trip."

Jeonbuk Shopping Travel Lounge, located in the central area of Jeonju's old downtown. It offers various services for tourists, including souvenir shopping, luggage storage facilities, auxiliary battery rental, and English, Chinese, and Japanese guidance and interpretation services.
[Photo by Jeonbuk Shopping Travel Lounge]

Shop, Take Certification Photos... Enhancing Travel Fun at the 'Jeonbuk Shopping Travel Lounge'

Jeonju, which attracts many foreign tourists as much as Korean tourists, has long had opinions that resting places and convenience facilities for travelers were relatively lacking. Team Leader Kim added, "With the lounge's establishment, not only does it sell unique tourism souvenirs exclusive to this place, but travelers can also temporarily store heavy luggage, rent auxiliary batteries, and receive guidance and interpretation services in English, Chinese, and Japanese, maximizing convenience for foreign tourists."

Jeonju's shopping tourism revitalization project is spreading through initiatives such as the 'Immediate Refund-Type Post-Tax-Free Store Discovery Project,' which supports building infrastructure for shopping tourism convenience in the region while reducing the hassle foreign tourists face when purchasing goods and going through complicated procedures to get tax refunds at the airport.

Lee Kyung-yoon, CEO of Jeonbuk Culture and Tourism Foundation, explaining the shopping revitalization project at Jeonbuk Shopping Travel Lounge.
[Photo by Kim Hee-yoon]

Lee Kyung-yoon, CEO of the Jeonbuk Culture and Tourism Foundation, emphasized, "We have newly discovered 23 post-tax-free stores in the Gosa-dong area of Jeonju City and plan to expand this further next year."

Accordingly, the foundation invested 550 million KRW to operate a regional win-win shopping tourism council involving merchant associations by district, focusing on the Jeonju old downtown area as the main business site. They also supported multilingual guidance using QR codes and other infrastructure-building efforts to revitalize regional shopping tourism.

The revitalization project has been evaluated as maximizing tourist convenience by providing differentiated shopping tourism discovery and competitiveness enhancement to build Jeonbuk shopping tourism branding, along with offering shopping tourism services that utilize digital technology for convenience.

A self-developed character sculpture 'Hogiroun Hosawon' installed at the Jeonju Craft Exhibition Hall in the Korea Traditional Culture Center.
[Photo by Jeonju Craft Exhibition Hall]

Charming Character 'Hosawon'... Gaining Attention as a Nationwide Emoticon

Upon entering the Jeonju Craft Exhibition Hall, where special crafts made in Jeonju are showcased, visitors are greeted by a cute tiger sculpture. 'Hosawon the Brave,' a character based on the magpie tiger from folk paintings, is the representative character of the Jeonju Craft Exhibition Hall and has already become a star recognized locally, serving as an ambassador for various events and promotions at the exhibition hall.

Kim Hye-won, who planned the character development at the Korea Traditional Culture Center's Craft Culture Industry Team, explained, "Last year, the 'Hosawon Emoticon' free distribution event on KakaoTalk received great response, with 25,000 people signing up on a first-come, first-served basis, showing the character's high popularity."

Jeonju Craft Exhibition Hall Sales Area View. [Photo by Jeonju City]

In front of the 16 types of Hosawon sculptures located at the entrance of the Jeonju Craft Exhibition Hall, a diverse group of tourists of all ages and nationalities, from children to foreigners, gathered showing interest and enthusiasm. Besides the cute Hosawon character, the exhibition hall houses the largest sales area in the country, showcasing works by local craft artists and excellent Korean handmade crafts.

Special handmade crafts that highlight the skills of masters and craft artists, such as subtly glowing lacquered mugs, blue-and-white porcelain made with modern patterns, smooth brassware, and unique crafts using hanji paper, even change the atmosphere around them.

Unmissable Gourmet Tour... From Bibimbap to Mulgalbi

Jeonju was selected as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2012, recognized worldwide for its outstanding flavors. Located near the fertile Gimje Plain, the South Sea, and the West Sea, and historically a center of culture, transportation, and education, Jeonju naturally developed a rich food culture based on excellent ingredients. For an unmissable Jeonju gourmet tour, we received recommendations for 'local favorite restaurants' mainly visited by Jeonju citizens.

Kim Jeong-ok, CEO of Gapgi Hall, is posing while holding the recently introduced medicinal bibimbap.
Photo by Kim Hee-yoon

▲ Gapgi Hoegwan: Master’s 'Bibimbap' with 18 Medicinal Herbs = Opened in 1990 and operating for 35 years, Gapgi Hoegwan is a renowned restaurant that has continuously researched gochujang (red chili paste) and bibimbap to offer healthy and delicious bibimbap. Kim Jeong-ok, the owner of Gapgi Hoegwan, introduced a 'Medicinal Bibimbap' recently made with 18 medicinal herbs based on natural fermented gochujang without any artificial additives, receiving favorable reviews locally.

Kim said, "We cooked rice with herbal medicines like Liriope platyphylla, Codonopsis, and Astragalus to boost vitality, then topped it with chestnuts, jujubes, and balloon flower roots to complete a bibimbap that is not only tasty but also a healthy meal. Especially, we repeatedly researched to minimize the herbal medicine scent so that customers who dislike the unique smell of herbal medicine can enjoy it comfortably."

Address: 50 Sangri-ro, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk

Hours: 11:00~21:00
Contact: 063-212-5766

Dongchang Galbi, which opened in 1984 and boasts a 41-year history, operates a branch on Gaksa-gil along with its main store in Songcheon-dong, Deokjin-gu.

▲ Dongchang Galbi: Mild 'Pork Ribs' Loved by Locals = Established in 1984 with a 41-year history, Dongchang Galbi operates its main branch in Songcheon-dong, Deokjin-gu, and a branch on Gaksa-gil. Entering the narrow, long alley, the interior pond and mini fountain preserve the old atmosphere, evoking nostalgia, and local customers are more noticeable than travelers at the tables.

At Dongchang Galbi, rib meat is marinated in a mild special soy sauce seasoning. When lightly grilled over a brazier, the meat becomes chewy with a subtly sweet flavor spreading gently in the mouth. The secret to the savory taste that intensifies with each bite is the well-matured special seasoning that is subtly applied. It features a slight herbal scent but no unpleasant odor in the meat.

Address: 51-1 Jeonju Gaksa 4-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk

Hours: 11:30~22:00, (Break Time) 15:00~17:00
Contact: 063-287-2911

Namno Mulgalbi is a representative restaurant of Jeonju's local cuisine, where marinated pork ribs are simmered in a rich broth with crunchy bean sprouts, glass noodles, mushrooms, and more.
[Photo by Namno Mulgalbi]

▲ Namno Mulgalbi: Neither Hot Pot nor Stew but Addictive 'Mulgalbi' = Opened in 1972 in Namnosong-dong, Jeonju, Namno Mulgalbi is one of the region's representative long-established restaurants that has been serving the uniquely named mulgalbi for over half a century. Mulgalbi is a local Jeonju dish close to hot pot, where marinated pork ribs are boiled in a broth with crunchy bean sprouts, glass noodles, and mushrooms with a little water. When the red broth starts boiling, the piled bean sprouts and ribs are swapped and boiled again to complete a mild yet deep flavor.

First, you eat the glass noodles, then cut the ribs and wrap them with the accompanying vegetables for an exquisite taste. The broth, rich with bean sprouts and water parsley, adds umami. The unique point is that the broth is poured over the marinated meat and boiled, so the meat is fully infused with seasoning.