Festival and Healing from November 7 to 9
An Autumn Journey by Train
Uljin County in North Gyeongsang Province will host the Jukbyeon Port Seafood Festival from November 7 to 9, when the autumn atmosphere reaches its peak, welcoming tourists to enjoy the vibrant autumn sea.
This year’s festival marks the first autumn seaside celebration since the opening of the Donghae Line railway, offering travelers arriving by train a unique opportunity to experience Uljin’s sea, seafood, and local charm all at once.
Focusing on the Jukbyeon Port Seafood Festival, Uljin County has designated October and November as the "Autumn Uljin Tourism Focus Period," concentrating on a variety of content linked to major local natural attractions, transportation support programs, and experiential activities.
▲ "Fresh and Lively" - Uljin’s Sea Becomes a Festival.
The Jukbyeon Port Seafood Festival is a gourmet celebration where visitors can fully enjoy seasonal seafood freshly caught from the pristine East Sea, including octopus, yellowtail, red snow crab, squid, flounder, conch, and whelk.
In particular, the festival features a direct seafood market where visitors can purchase and taste seafood on the spot, live seafood auctions, hands-on fish-catching experiences, mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) performances, a fishing boat parade, seafood cutting shows, an opening celebration concert, and fireworks. The opening concert will feature performances by trot singers Lee Chanwon and Hwang Yuseong, adding excitement to the festivities.
The festival venue is surrounded by numerous attractions such as the "Into the Storm" drama set, the National Uljin Marine Science Museum, Jukbyeon Lighthouse, Jukbyeon Sky Rail, coastal walking trails, Jukbyeon Fish Market, Jukbyeon Seafood Distribution Complex Center, and Deokgu Hot Springs, offering visitors a chance to enjoy both gourmet food and sightseeing for a truly satisfying experience.
▲ "Beep Beep" - Uljin’s Transportation Becomes More Convenient.
With the opening of the Donghae Line railway on January 1, Uljin County has established a transportation network connecting major cities nationwide such as Seoul, Busan, Daegu, and Gangneung by train, ushering in a new era of "railway tourism."
Seven stations, including Uljin Station, Heungbu Station, Jukbyeon Station, Hupo Station, Maehwa Station, Giseong Station, and Pyeonghae Station, are currently in operation. During the festival, Jukbyeon Port Seafood Festival is easily accessible via Jukbyeon Station and connecting bus services.
▲ "Heartbeat" - Uljin’s Autumn Becomes a Memory.
During the festival in early November, autumn colors are at their peak at sites such as the Geumgang Pine Forest, Bulyeong Valley, Botdorang-gil Trail, Eungbongsan Mountain, Wolsongjeong Barefoot Walking Trail, Seongnyu Cave, and Deungisan Park. Visitors can also enjoy healing tourism combined with hot springs at Baekam and Deokgu.
Before the railway opened, traveling to Uljin took more than half a day. Now, it can be reached in about three and a half hours from the Seoul metropolitan area and within two hours from Daegu or Busan, transforming Uljin from a "destination you wanted to visit" into an "everyday getaway you can easily travel to."
▲ Tourism Taxis, Bus Support, and Refund Events: "Travel and Costs Made Easy."
Uljin County also operates tourism transportation support programs to enhance travel convenience and visitor satisfaction.
Uljin Tourism Taxis, which operate on a reservation basis, are subsidized by the county for 60% of the fare when used for at least four hours (available for 32,000 won for four hours). These taxis allow visitors to freely tour all of Uljin, including the Geumgang Pine Forest, Wangpicheon Stream, and Mangyangjeong Pavilion, making them especially popular among families and elderly tourists.
The "Autumn Travel Bus," offering significant fare discounts for groups of 25 or more, is also in operation. Adults can tour local attractions for just 5,000 won per person, and children and teenagers for 2,000 won per person.
Rural buses connecting train stations to villages, accommodations, and tourist sites are currently free on all routes, allowing anyone to travel freely throughout Uljin. Additionally, a special event refunds 10% of the expenses spent by pre-registered tourists in Uljin as local specialty products. This unique travel system not only encourages visits to tourist sites but also contributes to revitalizing the local economy.
Since the Donghae Line opened earlier this year, Uljin County has welcomed a broader range of tourists with diverse travel purposes. Train trips have brought significant changes to Uljin tourism, from gourmet journeys with friends to weekend family hot spring trips and senior trekking tours.
Uljin, in particular, is a comprehensive tourist destination that combines mountains, sea, hot springs, history, and ecology. With improved accessibility by rail, this is an opportunity to introduce Uljin’s hidden charms to the entire nation.
County Mayor Son Byeongbok stated, "This year’s Jukbyeon Port Seafood Festival will be a meaningful occasion for tourists visiting Uljin by train to experience gourmet food, autumn scenery, and local culture all together. Uljin is evolving beyond a tourist destination with the wings of the railway, and I hope many people will discover Uljin’s new charms during this autumn trip where mountains, sea, hot springs, and villages come together."
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