Nostalgia of a Coal Mining Town: The 1st Jeomchon Jeombanggil Bread Festival
A Commercial District Renaissance Created by Citizens and Tourists Together
The original downtown area of Jeomchon in Mungyeong City, North Gyeongsang Province, which once flourished thanks to the coal mining industry, is regaining its vitality through a unique festival themed around bread.
On April 23, Mungyeong City announced that it will host the first Jeomchon Jeombanggil Bread Festival from April 25 to 27, spanning three days. This festival has been planned as part of the "Commercial District Renaissance Project," which aims to revitalize the declining downtown commercial area of Jeomchon.
"Jeombbang" is a Gyeongsang dialect word meaning "small shop," and Jeomchon was once home to numerous jeombbang and bakeries during the coal mining boom. Today, only Samiljegwa remains as the sole bakery continuing the legacy in the original downtown area.
Jeomchon Jeombanggil is a brand that integrates the three main commercial districts of the old downtown?Mungyeong Central Market, Culture Street Haengbok Shopping District, and Jeomchon Station Shopping District. Currently, the commercial area is in decline, with about one-quarter of the approximately 400 stores standing vacant.
Since 2020, Mungyeong City has invested 6 billion KRW to implement the Commercial District Renaissance Project to restore the old downtown commercial area. This festival is drawing attention as a representative example of developing tourism content utilizing local resources.
On the first day of the festival, April 25, a celebratory performance by singer Kassy and the opening ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. Various programs will take place, including a "Find the Fashion King" costume contest, a dessert competition, and hands-on events for families.
In particular, at the "Mini Neighborhood Bakery" booth operated by the Daegu-Gyeongbuk branch of the Korea Bakery Association, master bakers will bake and sell bread on-site. Around 20 renowned bakeries from Daegu and North Gyeongsang, including Mungyeong’s representative bakery Samiljegwa, will showcase their signature products.
In addition, a variety of citizen participation programs are expected to attract visitors' interest, such as a bread-themed fashion show with Mungyeong Love Gift Certificates awarded as prizes, the multi-sensory recreation event "Find the Fake Bread," and a "Fortune Cookie Event."
During the festival, on April 26 and 27, the "2025 Mungyeong Small Business Festa" and the "2nd Jeomchon 1-dong Dondal Festival" will be held concurrently, which is expected to further boost the local economy.
Shin Hyunkuk, Mayor of Mungyeong, said, "Through this bread festival, I hope to revive the history and atmosphere of Jeomchon’s original downtown, and to create an opportunity for the local commercial district and community to come alive again." He added, "Going forward, we will continue to build a sustainable local economic model centered on Jeomchon Jeombanggil, where citizens and tourists can come together."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
