Cheongyang Chili-Gugija Festival Wins 'Asia Pinnacle Awards'

‘Best Agricultural Program’ Category

Cheongyang County Office Exterior View

The Cheongyang Gochu Gugija Festival in Chungnam Cheongyang has been internationally recognized for its excellence, winning the ‘Best Agricultural Program’ category.

Cheongyang County announced on the 21st that the Cheongyang Gochu Gugija Festival was selected as the winner in the ‘Best Agricultural Program’ category at the ‘2025 Asia Pinnacle Awards’ held at the HICO Convention Center in Gyeongju.

The festival received high praise for its differentiated programs utilizing its signature agricultural specialties, gochu (red pepper) and gugija (wolfberry).

The 2024 Cheongyang Gochu Gugija Festival presented a variety of experiential programs such as ‘Thousand-Won Happiness: Fill Your Basket with Gochu’, ‘99m Longevity Gugija Gimbap Making’, and ‘Gugija Myth Performance’, which received enthusiastic responses from visitors despite the hot weather.

In addition, the operation of an agricultural specialty product market, with participation from local farmers and producer groups by product category, contributed to increasing farm income and raising awareness of the county’s joint brand ‘Chilgabmaru’.

The Asia Pinnacle Awards is a prestigious ceremony hosted by the Asia Chapter of the International Festivals and Events Association, evaluating success strategies, branding, and operational strategies of festivals, and recognizing outstanding festivals that contribute to the development of festivals in the Asia region.

Cheongyang County was also awarded in the ‘Best Community Service Program’ category in 2024, achieving international recognition for two consecutive years.

A county official stated, “This award is even more meaningful as we celebrate the Year of Creating Cheongyang Tourism City in 2025,” and added, “As we are preparing a comprehensive revamp of this year’s festival, we will do our best to make the Cheongyang Gochu Gugija Festival a leading festival representing the nation.”