City Achieves Stronger Urban Identity Through 'Sokcho Gourmet Week'
From Consumer-Driven Festivals to a Cultural Platform with Local Gourmet Pop-Ups
'2025 Sokcho Gourmet Week' concluded successfully with over 20,000 participants, achieving significant results in spreading local gourmet culture and strengthening the city's identity.
This event, held as part of the Republic of Korea's Cultural City Development Project, took place over seven days from October 21 to 27. It was organized to share Sokcho's unique food culture, discover the city's identity and narrative through it, and present the potential for Sokcho to become a city of culinary culture.
Joe Yonan, former Food Editor at The Washington Post, Matt Roadbard, Editor-in-Chief of THE TASTE, and Nadia Cho, Food Director, noted that Sokcho already possesses sufficient conditions to be a sustainable gourmet city. However, they pointed out that the stories unique to Sokcho's ingredients and cuisine have yet to be fully articulated.
Um Kyungseon (author of 'Table of the East'), Choi Jia (CEO of Ongo Food Communications), and Jang Minyoung (CEO of OurPlanet) emphasized that for Sokcho to advance as a sustainable gourmet city, it must provide differentiated experiences and focus on developing in-depth content.
SynerGY Week, which brought together young local creators from Sokcho, Goseong, and Yangyang, was also held concurrently. Around 30 teams participated, sharing and brainstorming ideas to create new cultural experiences.
Efforts to move beyond a festival centered solely on food consumption also drew attention. The Gourmet Week pop-up at Centum Mark (formerly Lotte Cinema) attracted about 7,000 participants. The most notable program was 'Sokcho Local Mapping,' where citizens themselves selected their favorite restaurants. The 106 establishments chosen by citizens-not through advertising or promotions, but as true local favorites-are expected to be compiled into a map, serving as a foundational asset for Sokcho as a culinary culture city.
An online platform was also operated to recommend Sokcho’s signature dish, mulhoe (cold raw fish soup), based on individual preferences. Using a proprietary algorithm, users could select toppings and other options to receive personalized restaurant recommendations. This approach demonstrated the potential to expand beyond mulhoe to the broader local cuisine scene.
Other programs included Dried Seafood Day in collaboration with traditional markets, gourmet docent tours, dietary programs addressing the climate crisis, and a temple (vegan) food one-day class with Monk Ugwan. These initiatives were praised for presenting a direction for sustainable local gourmet culture.
Lee Byungseon, Chairman of the Sokcho Cultural Tourism Foundation (and Mayor of Sokcho), stated, "This Sokcho Gourmet Week has evolved beyond a festival focused on food consumption, becoming a venue to share Sokcho's unique flavors and stories as values and experiences." He added, "As a core pillar of the Republic of Korea's Cultural City Development Project, we will continue to nurture cuisine as a new growth engine and urban narrative for Sokcho, fostering global engagement."
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