‘Haman Nakhwa Nori’ Captivating Japanese Tourists... Special Travel Package Released

Haman Nakwhanori Fireworks Commercialization... First Attraction of About 450 Japanese Tourists

Gaman Nakwhanori, a traditional Korean fireworks display from Haman, Gyeongsangnam-do, has captured the hearts of Japanese tourists.

Japanese tourists visiting the Nakwhanori Special Day are enjoying Nakwhanori.
[Photo by Korea Tourism Organization]

On the 1st, the Korea Tourism Organization announced that 450 Japanese tourists visited Haman on the 31st through a special tour package featuring the Haman Nakwhanori.

As a measure to disperse foreign tourists concentrated in the metropolitan area to other regions, the organization selected the regionally unique 'Haman Nakwhanori' as a tourism product and held a special day event on the 31st.

Nakwhanori is a traditional fireworks display from Haman County, Gyeongsangnam-do. Thousands of Nakwhanori sticks, made by wrapping oak charcoal powder in cotton wadding and hanji paper, are lit, creating a spectacle of falling sparks that decorate the pond for about two hours. It originated during the Joseon Dynasty when Jeong Gu, the governor of Haman, held the event annually on the '4th day of the 4th lunar month' (Buddha's Birthday) to pray for the well-being of the people and a bountiful harvest.

In this regard, since May this year, the Korea Tourism Organization has invited senior managers from major Japanese travel agencies to showcase the charm of Haman and held briefing sessions for local travel agencies, making multifaceted efforts to develop the product.

Based on this, through joint planning with 14 Japanese travel agencies, a total of 17 Nakwhanori-themed travel products have been launched in Japan, all of which include the Nakwhanori Special Day event on the 31st as a mandatory part of the itinerary.

Park Seong-ung, head of the Japan team at the Korea Tourism Organization, said, "For the regional dispersion of foreign tourists, differentiated tourism content, market-specific customization, and branding are important. The organization will continue to collaborate with local governments and private institutions to discover and strengthen unique regional content so that it can grow into global tourism content."