Sunchang County's "Korea Tteokbokki Festa" Concludes Successfully with 40,000 Visitors

80 Booths Set Up
Traditional and Snowflake Tteokbokki Among Local Specialty Menus Draw Enthusiastic Visitor Response

The Sunchang County Fermentation Tourism Foundation successfully concluded the "2025 Sunchang Korea Tteokbokki Festa," which was held from November 15 to 16 at the Sunchang Fermentation Theme Park and the Traditional Red Pepper Paste Folk Village area.

Sunchang County Fermentation Tourism Foundation successfully concluded the "2025 Sunchang Korea Tteokbokki Festa" event held from the 15th to the 16th at the Sunchang Fermentation Theme Park and the Traditional Red Pepper Paste Folk Village. Photo by Sunchang County

According to the foundation on November 17, this festival was organized under the theme of "tteokbokki," Korea's representative soul food made with gochujang, with the aim of promoting the excellence of Sunchang gochujang and revitalizing the local economy. Approximately 40,000 people attended the event.

This year, the festival emphasized "visitor-centered management" based on the "5 No's and 5 Yes's" policy, realizing a pleasant and trustworthy event by providing friendly service, reducing waste, and introducing fixed pricing, among other initiatives.

A total of 80 booths were set up at the festival. Of these, 46 booths selling tteokbokki and other street food featured participation from towns, general businesses, franchises, and universities, offering a diverse range of menus.

Each town in Sunchang prepared menus reflecting local characteristics, such as traditional tteokbokki, snowflake tteokbokki, and tomato tteokbokki, which received enthusiastic responses from visitors. This was recognized as an important achievement in advancing toward a resident-led festival.

The festival also greatly enhanced its attractions and hands-on content. Main programs included the augmented reality mobile game "Find the Tteokbokking," the "Tteokbokki Lab" with Chef Ahn Yoosung, and "Tteokbokki Fine Dining" with Chef Raymond Kim, all of which added excitement to the event.

Additionally, various hands-on programs were offered, such as making your own DIY tteokbokki meal kit using Sunchang gochujang, experiencing gochujang meju making, and grilling gochujang fire tteok skewers over a wood fire. These activities were especially popular among children and family visitors.

Furthermore, for the first time among festivals in the province, a smart ordering system was introduced, allowing visitors to access a web app by scanning a QR code at each table to place mobile orders and check real-time waiting status at each booth. The app also provided real-time clean zone updates, a festival map, coupon registration, and directions to food booths, making the festival experience even more convenient for visitors.

The event received strong support from the Jeonju University RISS project. Professor Ryu Inpyeong of Jeonju University commented, "By preparing the festival through government-academia cooperation, we created a successful case by staying true to the basics while also making bold attempts."

County Governor Choi Youngil stated, "Thanks to the high level of interest from visitors from all over the country, we were able to widely promote the appeal of Sunchang gochujang," adding, "We will continue to expand the festival as a community-driven event and further strengthen Sunchang's unique brand value."