Yangpyeong County Attracts Tourists Year-Round with Seasonal Festivals
Yangpyeong, Embracing Pristine Nature, Emerges as a Leading Tourist Destination in the Seoul Metropolitan Area
Yangpyeong County in Gyeonggi Province is establishing itself as a leading tourist destination in the Seoul metropolitan area through a variety of festivals held throughout all four seasons. These festivals, based on the region’s pristine natural environment and local specialties, attract visitors every season and are solidifying Yangpyeong’s reputation as a “premium festival city.”
According to Yangpyeong County on April 21, the 15th Yangpyeong Yongmunsan Wild Vegetable Festival will be held under the slogan “Let’s GO (EatGO, RestGO, EnjoyGO) Yangpyeong Wild Vegetables!” for three days from April 25 to April 27 at the Yangpyeong Yongmunsan Tourist Site and around Yongmun Station.
The Yangpyeong Yongmunsan Wild Vegetable Festival, which has elevated its status by winning the Grand Prize in the Festival Economy category at the 13th Korea Festival Contents Awards for two consecutive years and being selected as a 2025 Gyeonggi Representative Tourism Festival, is based on the “Dongguk Yeoji Ji” record of Yongmunsan wild vegetables, once considered the finest tribute for the king. This year, the festival will be held under the theme “A Wild Vegetable Picnic with Family,” featuring activities such as the Wild Vegetable Golden Bell Quiz and a Wild Vegetable Kids Cooking Class, offering both fun experiences and opportunities to learn about wild vegetables in an engaging way. In addition, programs will be offered for children to become more familiar with wild vegetables and to raise awareness of healthy foods, while in response to the era of 10 million pet owners, “Pet Trekking” and “Pet Sports Day” events will also be held so that visitors can enjoy the festival with their pets.
In pursuit of a sustainable, eco-friendly festival, the use of single-use containers will be prohibited and support for reusable containers will be expanded. The festival will also feature events such as the “Family Certification Event,” where visitors who bring their own shopping bags or tumblers, or verify attendance as a three-generation family, will receive coupons, and the “Children’s Certification Event,” where children who participate in experience booths can receive Yangchuni merchandise exchange vouchers.
Last year, the festival received nationwide acclaim for its “no price gouging” policy through a fixed price system at the venue, offering affordable prices and excellent quality. This year as well, booths selling fresh wild vegetables from Yangpyeong and booths selling agricultural and specialty products produced in Yangpyeong’s clean natural environment will operate throughout the festival period, delivering the healthy flavors of Yangpyeong to visitors.
Additionally, the Wild Vegetable Festival, hosted by Yongmun-myeon and organized by the Yongmun-myeon Wild Vegetable Festival Promotion Committee, will be held for two days from April 26 to April 27 around Yongmun Station. This participatory local festival will be operated by booths representing local villages, organizations, and merchants’ associations. Under the slogan “Festival of Harmony and Coexistence, Yongmun Hanmadang Festival,” the event aims to promote sales of local farm products, including Yongmun-myeon’s specialty wild vegetables.
The Danwol Gorosoe Festival, Yangpyeong’s representative spring festival, promotes the excellence of Danwol’s local specialty, gorosoe sap, and offers opportunities to experience the region’s pristine nature and culture. Held at Danwol Leisure Sports Park from March 15 to March 16, the festival attracted around 80,000 visitors, once again proving its status as Yangpyeong’s iconic spring festival.
In addition to the main events such as the street parade and mountain spirit ritual, the festival featured a 26-meter gorosoe gimbap rolling event and a performance by Kyung Hee University cheerleaders, providing a wide array of attractions that received an enthusiastic response from visitors.
Various foods made with gorosoe sap, including sundae soup, buckwheat noodles, banquet noodles, and Makgeolli, were praised for showcasing the unique characteristics of the Yangpyeong Danwol Gorosoe Festival.
Yangpyeong County plans to continue promoting the festival both domestically and internationally so that it can be enriched with even more content and become more widely known.
The Yangpyeong Sansuyu Hanwoo Festival, where visitors can enjoy delicious Korean beef amid blooming yellow sansuyu flowers, was held successfully for two days from March 29 in the downtown area of Gaegun-myeon, Yangpyeong County, attracting many spring visitors.
This year’s festival, which was held in the city center for the first time with the keywords of revitalizing the local economy and encouraging resident participation, introduced a variety of new themes, including Hanwoo sales, Sansuyu Hanwoo random box sales, Sansuyu Hanwoo Golden Bell, and Sansuyu Cheong “Bokbulbok.” Merchants in Gaegun adjusted their menus and prices during the festival, the Gaegun Residents’ Autonomous Committee created ground murals, and the Gaegun Sports Association provided parking lots, all reflecting the active participation of local businesses and residents and adding meaningful significance to the event.
The county plans to operate next year’s Yangpyeong Sansuyu Hanwoo Festival in a way that allows visitors to fully experience the spring of Yangpyeong, as well as its sansuyu and Hanwoo, in a meaningful and enriching way.
The Galsan Nuribom Festival is a warm spring festival held at Galsan Park, a historical and cultural site in Yangpyeong-eup, and along the cherry blossom-lined Namhangang riverside, where local residents and visitors come together. The festival’s name, “Nuribom,” is a pure Korean word meaning “to cultivate the world with hope,” reflecting the spirit of the event.
Held for three days from April 4 to April 6, the Galsan Nuribom Festival concluded successfully in the warmth of spring, featuring a commemorative event for Yangpyeong-eup Residents’ Day to promote community unity, as well as various hands-on activities and performances for children’s spring outings, providing joy to visitors. The festival aims to continue promoting the rich charms of Yangpyeong-eup and to attract even more visitors in the future.
The “Yangpyeong Wheat Festival,” where visitors can appreciate the value of Yangpyeong’s pristine nature and native wheat, is held in Cheongun-myeon in June. More than just an agricultural festival, the Yangpyeong Wheat Festival is a family-friendly event that combines nature, culture, and hands-on experiences. Last year, photo zones set against golden wheat fields and promotional exhibits for native wheat left unforgettable memories for visitors. In addition, a variety of foods and experience programs made with native wheat proved especially popular among families with children. Now in its third year, the festival is expected to offer even richer programs, providing visitors in June with special memories in harmony with nature.
Yangpyeong’s signature summer festival, the “Yangpyeong Watermelon Festival,” centers on Cheongun watermelons and offers a variety of experiences and foods. “Mulmalgeun Yangpyeong Watermelon,” a specialty product of Cheongun-myeon in Yangpyeong County, is selected through a non-destructive sugar content measurement process and is known for its high sugar content and firm, crisp texture.
During the two days of last year’s festival, approximately 3,000 to 4,000 watermelons were sold, helping to promote the excellence of Cheongun watermelons, raise awareness of local agricultural products, revitalize traditional markets, and expand sales channels for local farm products.
This year’s Yangpyeong Watermelon Festival, to be held from July 5 to July 6 at Yongdu Folk Market in Cheongun-myeon, is a multifaceted rural festival that aims to boost local farmers’ incomes and promote tourism. The event will enhance the brand value of Cheongun watermelons and offer visitors the sweet, refreshing taste of high-sugar watermelons along with a variety of engaging programs.
The Yangdong-myeon region of Yangpyeong County hosts a local specialty festival every autumn. Yangdong-myeon is the largest producer of chives in Korea, with over 170 farms producing about 5,500 tons of chives annually, earning a reputation for top quality. Since its inception in 2016, the Chive Festival has established itself as an event to promote Yangpyeong’s eco-friendly chives, revitalize the local economy, and foster community unity.
Visitors can enjoy healthy foods made with Yangpyeong chives, such as chive pancakes, chive palbochae, and chive pork skin salad, as well as participate in a variety of activities like chive trimming and chive pot making, making the festival a place to create happy memories and experiences.
The Traditional Fermented Food Festival, held around October, is designed to promote the excellence of traditional fermented foods and to showcase the history and culture of Jipyeong. The event offers opportunities to experience Jipyeong’s history and traditions, including exhibitions and sales of fermented foods produced in Jipyeong?such as doenjang, gochujang, soy sauce, and enzyme products?hands-on fermented food making, traditional fermented liquor tastings, and trying on Jipyeong militia costumes, all of which offer the deep flavors and charms of tradition.
Jipyeong Brewery, built in 1925, is the oldest brewery in Korea and is located in Jipyeong-myeon, a major battlefield during the Korean War. It is the only building in the area that survived the war and is also the main filming location for the popular KBS2 weekend drama “Please Take Care of the Eagle Brothers.”
Jipyeong has long preserved the legacy of traditional fermented foods, and through the Traditional Fermented Food Festival, which brings together the essence of traditional fermentation culture, visitors will have a meaningful opportunity to experience Korea’s unique fermentation heritage.
The representative winter festival of Yangpyeong is designed so that families and couples can spend a warm and enjoyable winter together in Yangpyeong. The festival is being developed to offer a wide range of attractions and activities so that visitors can experience the charms of Yangpyeong even in winter, establishing it as a leading winter festival.
Last year, the festival was linked with local resources to provide a special winter experience that warmed both body and mind. Signature local dishes such as Yangpyeong hangover soup and sundae soup were promoted, and a stamp tour connecting libraries, bookstores, and restaurants received an enthusiastic response from visitors.
Yangpyeong County Mayor Jeon Jinseon said, “Yangpyeong County is focusing its tourism policy on the slogan ‘Yangpyeong is Tourism,’ making tourism the key industry for the next 100 years. Last year, Yangpyeong was ranked number one in Gyeonggi Province for summer vacation satisfaction, firmly establishing itself as the top tourist destination in the metropolitan area. We hope that many visitors will be able to fully experience the charms of Yangpyeong, which is filled with festivals throughout all four seasons.”
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