Ranked as the No. 1 Recommended Travel Destination for Desserts
"We Will Create a Festival Free of Litter, Price Gouging, and Accidents"
Lee Jangwoo, the mayor of Daejeon, recently highlighted that Daejeon was selected as the number one recommended travel destination for desserts in a recent public opinion poll, stating, "Daejeon is emerging as a new cultural and tourism city, centered around the 0si Festival."
According to the 'Domestic Travel Destination Recommendation Survey' report released on July 31 by Consumer Insight, a consumer research institute, Daejeon ranked first as the most recommended domestic travel destination for desserts. In the tally by metropolitan area, Daejeon recorded a recommendation rate of 46.9%, surpassing Seoul (28.6%) by a significant margin of 18 percentage points.
In particular, in the dessert category of famous restaurants, Jung-gu, the main venue for the 0si Festival, ranked first among basic local governments with a recommendation rate of 58.9%. In addition, Seo-gu (3rd), Yuseong-gu (4th), and Dong-gu (7th) were all within the top 5% nationwide, and Daedeok-gu also ranked 16th, meaning all five autonomous districts in Daejeon made it into the national top 20.
Ahead of the 'Daejeon 0si Festival' to be held from August 8 to August 16, Mayor Lee emphasized the thorough preparations being made to prioritize citizen safety and economic revitalization.
At an expanded executive meeting held on August 5, Mayor Lee stated, "First is safety, second is safety, and third is safety. No matter how good the planning or how rich the content, if safety is not guaranteed, it can never be a success," reiterating his commitment to these priorities.
In particular, to thoroughly prevent safety accidents at the festival site amid the hot weather, he instructed that the following measures be meticulously implemented at the department and bureau level: inspection throughout the installation and dismantling of structures; hygiene management to prevent food poisoning; and crackdowns on illegal street vendors and prevention of price gouging.
Mayor Lee emphasized, "A festival should be enjoyable for both citizens and tourists, and in this process, the goal is to bring tangible benefits to the original downtown commercial district and local merchants." He further requested, "While the indiscriminate influx of outside vendors should be controlled, local merchants should be encouraged to establish a culture of preventing price gouging and maintaining cleanliness, with active efforts from each department and bureau."
He also stated, "This year, as a first step, preliminary events were held in Seo-gu, Yuseong-gu, and Daedeok-gu, and next year, we plan to expand these preliminary events further and spread the 0si Festival throughout all of Daejeon."
Previously, over two days on August 1 and 2, Seo-gu held the '2025 Time Music Festival with Bread & Beer' throughout the Timero area; Yuseong-gu hosted the 'Summer Night Yuseong Music Festa' at the Gwanpyeongcheon outdoor plaza; and Daedeok-gu held the 'Daedeok Street Festival' in the Birae, Jungri, and Beop-dong areas.
As a result of these achievements, Mayor Lee also emphasized the revival of the regional character industry alongside the 0si Festival, arguing that establishing a city brand for Daejeon is crucial for revitalizing the local economy.
He evaluated, "Makgeolli, ramen, and walnut cookies featuring the Kkumdori character are so popular among citizens and tourists that supply cannot keep up with demand," adding, "The success of the Kkumdori family is not just about content; it is a result of industrialization directly linked to revitalizing the local economy."
He went on to emphasize "the development of content incorporating storytelling and strengthening design capabilities," stating that "this must lead to a sustainable character industry."
Regarding the 0si Festival, he reiterated, "The key is not to end as a simple event, but to revitalize the local economy," and stressed, "Since the goal is to revive commercial districts and enhance the city's brand image, department and bureau heads must take the lead in strictly adhering to the three principles of safety, hygiene, and economic revitalization."
In response to the increase in foreign tourists, he added, "We must create a foreigner-friendly environment, including English-language guides, interpretation staff, and tourist convenience facilities."
Regarding current issues, he mentioned the success in preventing flooding through dredging of the three major rivers.
Daejeon City completed precision dredging projects in advance for the three major rivers?Yudeungcheon, Gapcheon, and Daejeoncheon?minimizing damage even during this year's unprecedented heavy rainfall.
Mayor Lee explained, "Despite the heavy rain this year, there was no damage to the riverbanks," adding, "It was effective to complete the design and bidding by the end of the year and begin dredging in the winter."
He also noted, "There were various additional benefits, such as the disposal of dredged sediment and providing off-season work for construction equipment," and emphasized the importance of facility management, safety management, and administrative improvements and supplementation.
He also ordered safety inspections at Hanwha Life Ballpark.
Regarding the falling structure accident at Hanwha Life Ballpark, he stated, "The city and Hanwha share responsibility," and added, "The city, the construction company, the supervisor, and Hanwha must complete a thorough safety inspection, and if any shortcomings are found, the city must take independent action if necessary."
He made it clear that, in addition to addressing swimming pool safety, seat safety, and crowd density issues, the principle is to make improvements in advance rather than after operations begin.
He also called for improvements to the existing Hanbat Baseball Stadium and parking issues.
He proposed establishing a year-round utilization plan for the existing Hanbat Baseball Stadium to allow for its reactivation, as well as attracting national amateur baseball tournaments. To address the shortage of parking in the area, he instructed, "Prepare a plan to expand public parking lots by working with Jung-gu, including options such as purchasing nearby residential properties."
Regarding the 'Baseball Street Development Project,' he stated, "The city is pursuing it with a fundamental roadmap," and pointed out, "We must communicate proactively and inform citizens about the preparation status to prevent complaints and misunderstandings such as 'Why is nothing happening after announcing the project?'"
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