[The Evolution of Smart Festivals] ① Meeting Gwangju Chungjang Festival Anew as 'Chukjipsa'

Korea Tourism Organization's 'Chukjipsa' Service Leads Smart Innovation at Gwangju Chungjang Festival
From Congestion Management to Safety Assurance... 'AI-Based Integrated Service' Takes Responsibility
Data-Driven Future Festival Maximizes 'Visitor Satisfaction'

The “Chueok-ui Chungjang Festival,” Gwangju Metropolitan City’s representative local festival celebrating its 21st anniversary this year, showcased new changes through smart technology. This festival, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually with its newtro vibe, has long faced chronic challenges in festival management such as congestion, lack of information, and safety issues. However, this year, the introduction of the “Chukjipsa (Festival Butler)” service, promoted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, effectively addressed these problems and significantly enhanced operational efficiency and visitor satisfaction.

On the fourth day of the 21st Gwangju Nostalgic Chungjang Festival, held on the afternoon of October 5th at Geumnam-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju, the nationwide competition teams are parading in the festival's highlight event, the Chungjang Fire Art Parade. Photo by Yonhap News

One visitor expressed satisfaction, saying, “I was able to save time by easily finding booths and planning my route to avoid congestion through the smart map,” and added, “The smart parking service was a great help as I could quickly check available parking spaces.” These positive experiences are the result of the smart technology implemented by Chukjipsa.

Chukjipsa is an integrated service utilizing AI and smart technology to solve major issues occurring at festival sites, such as congestion management, safety assurance, parking information provision, and easy payment. The Chungjang Festival was the first case to apply Chukjipsa, successfully operating five key services on-site.

Promotional image of 'Chukjipsa' by Korea Tourism Organization. [Photo by Korea Tourism Organization]

First, the smart map service played a central role in visitor route planning by providing real-time information on booths, convenience facilities, event details, street congestion levels, and parking status. It was praised for maximizing user convenience by updating program changes by time slot. This service was provided by Deepfine, an XR spatial computing company, and is a web-based solution that runs with just an internet connection without requiring separate installation.

The smart safety service analyzed on-site congestion levels in five stages using CCTV and Vision AI technology, guiding visitors along safe routes. This enabled more comfortable and safer management of the festival site, allowing visitors to enjoy the festival more pleasantly.

Case of Using Smart Map Service at Gwangju Chungjang Festival. Visitors were able to easily find event booths, restrooms, and other convenience facilities through the smart map service, and plan their routes to avoid congestion at specific locations.
[Photo by Korea Tourism Organization]

The smart payment service, which enabled easy payments on-site through a mobile app, reduced long waiting times and improved operational efficiency. At the same time, it laid the foundation for analyzing the festival’s economic impact by integrating sales data from each booth. A total of 1,485 transactions were made, with a transaction amount reaching approximately 27.17 million KRW.

The smart parking service used drones and Vision AI technology to monitor parking lot congestion in real time and quickly guide visitors to available parking spaces. This helped reduce parking stress for visitors who had previously struggled with traffic congestion and parking issues, supporting smooth festival participation.

Case Study of Using Smart Safety Service at Gwangju Chungjang Festival
Photo by Korea Tourism Organization

Additionally, the smart AED service strengthened the festival’s safety foundation by deploying outdoor AED kiosks for emergency situations during outdoor activities. It provided AI-based customized emergency education content to enhance understanding of emergency equipment usage, thereby improving rapid response and safety management levels in emergencies.

Dong Yungeon, CTO of Deepfine, which provided the smart map service at this festival, explained, “We focused most on developing real-time information tailored to the festival,” adding, “To reflect the characteristic that program and booth locations change by time slot, we concentrated on API integration and cloud server construction.”

Based on the data obtained from this festival, Deepfine plans to develop a 3D spatial map solution combined with tourism resources. CTO Dong stated, “To revitalize the local economy with smart technology and provide better experiences to tourists, we will move forward with developing a 3D spatial map solution combined with tourism resources.”

A case of providing smart parking service through AI analysis linked with drones at the Gwangju Chungjang Festival.
[Photo by Bestellar Lab]

The Chukjipsa service achieved visible results at the Chungjang Festival site. The smart map recorded 27,732 views, playing a key role in visitor route planning, while the smart safety service contributed to safety management by monitoring congested areas in real time. The smart payment service improved on-site efficiency and established a foundation for systematically aggregating the festival’s economic data.

The festival organizers were also able to efficiently manage the venue and systematically establish safety and operational plans by utilizing real-time data. This data is expected to be an important resource for analyzing the festival’s economic effects.

Gwangju Chungjang Festival Chukjipsa Booth.
Photo by Korea Tourism Organization

The Gwangju Chungjang Festival was recorded as a representative case demonstrating that smart technology can enhance the competitiveness of local tourism beyond mere innovation in festival management. The success of the Chukjipsa service proved that smart tourism technology can contribute to improving visitor experiences and revitalizing the local economy.

Yang Kyungsoo, Director of the Tourism Industry Office at the Korea Tourism Organization, said, “Inquiries about the Chukjipsa service are flooding in from local governments and various festival operators nationwide,” and added, “We plan to expand its application to various tourism sites such as traditional markets, themed streets, and MICE events.” He further noted, “Chukjipsa is expected to play a pivotal role in solving ESG challenges and creating a sustainable tourism ecosystem.”