200g Hanwoo Yukhoe 30,000 Won... 250,000 Visitors Expected at Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival Opening on the 2nd

Photos from Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival
Photo by Hoengseong-gun

The ‘Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival,’ celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, will be held for five days from the 2nd to the 6th along the Seomgang riverside. The Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival was held at the Seomgang riverside until the 17th festival, but due to a national river maintenance project, the 18th and 19th festivals were moved to the Hoengseong Sports Complex, and this year it has returned to Seomgang.

This year’s slogan is ‘A Relaxing Break with Cow (牛),’ featuring a variety of programs including food, entertainment, and sightseeing. For food, there is the Hoengseong Hanwoo grill area. Three livestock organizations in Hoengseong (Livestock Cooperative, Nonghyup, and Cooperative Association) directly participate and operate it, allowing visitors to select and purchase or eat various cuts of Hoengseong Hanwoo (fresh meat, roast, offal) in a self-service restaurant style.

Menu and Price List Published on the Organizer's Website

The Hoengseong Hanwoo F&B Zone includes booths of local restaurants using representative regional dishes and specialties. According to the menu and price list released in advance by the organizers, Hanwoo Yukjeon (250g) costs 20,000 KRW, Hanwoo Yukgaejang (one bowl) 12,000 KRW, Hanwoo Yukhoe (200g) 30,000 KRW, Meat Udon (one bowl) 8,000 KRW, Americano 4,000 KRW, Chicken Skewer (one piece) 5,000 KRW, and So-tteok So-tteok (one piece) 4,000 KRW. The Hoengseong Hanwoo Local Food Zone sells Hoengseong’s eight famous products (Hoengseong Hanwoo, Hoengseong Deodeok, Anheung Steamed Bun, Hoengseong Rice Eojinmi, Hoengseong Apple, Hoengseong Tomato, Hoengseong Mixed Grains, Hoengseong Pickled Napa Cabbage). For reference, last year a 150,000 KRW per person omakase was introduced but received harsh criticism for both taste and quantity.

For entertainment, there are Art Cow Shows, Kids Ground, Hoengseong Hanwoo and Friends (animal experiences and feeding with calves, rabbits, sheep, foals, etc.), and Flying Hoengseong Hanwoo (hot air balloon experience). The official sponsor of the Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival, Kooksoondang, operates a pop-up zone where visitors can taste and purchase Kooksoondang products and participate in a traditional liquor brewing experience. Additionally, concerts and art festivals are held as sightseeing attractions.

Hoesung Hanwoo Festival reference photo [Photo by Hoesung-gun]

To facilitate visitors’ use of railways, from the 3rd to the last day on the 6th, KTX Gangneung Line trains passing through Hoengseong Station will make an additional 8 stops in total, with 4 stops in the upward direction and 4 stops in the downward direction. On the second day of the festival, the 3rd, two temporary trains will operate, one upward and one downward. Also, from the 4th to the 6th, regular trains will make two additional temporary stops per day. Furthermore, shuttle buses between Hoengseong Station and the festival site will be operated continuously for visitors’ convenience.

According to Hoengseong County and the Hoengseong Culture and Tourism Foundation, last year, 250,000 people visited, an increase of 50,000 from the previous year, spending 2.6 billion KRW. In 2022, 200,000 people attended, and the local economy’s ripple effect was estimated at 14.8 billion KRW.