Hwasun County Wins Award at 14th Korea Festival Contents Awards

2025 Hwasun Dolmen Autumn Flower Festival
Grand Prize in the Festival Cultural Heritage and History Category

Lee Hobum, Vice Governor of Hwasun County, receiving the Korea Festival Content Awards Grand Prize. Provided by Hwasun County.

Hwasun County in South Jeolla Province announced on the 26th that the "2025 Hwasun Dolmen Autumn Flower Festival" won the Grand Prize in the Festival Cultural Heritage and History category at the 14th Korea Festival Contents Awards ceremony, which was held on the 24th at the Peace & Park Convention Hall (War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan) in Seoul.

Now in its 14th year, the Korea Festival Contents Awards is hosted by the Korea Festival Contents Association. A review committee made up of private-sector experts in festival-related fields comprehensively evaluates regional identity, content completeness, operational performance, and impact on the local economy to select outstanding festivals.

The "2025 Hwasun Dolmen Autumn Flower Festival" received favorable reviews as a festival where people can easily experience cultural heritage in everyday life by building content that encompasses nature, culture, and history around the dolmen sites, which are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

In particular, it was praised for increasing visitor satisfaction through experiential programs linked to the autumn flower landscapes.

Hwasun County received an enthusiastic response by presenting differentiated content such as the "Golden Dolmen" where wishes are granted when people take photos together, a stone-axe-shaped gate symbolizing the Paleolithic era, a Bronze Age costume rental program, and an exhibition of moving dinosaurs, thereby creating a colorful festival.

In addition, the "All-Black Ice Cream," created in commemoration of the Hwasun coal mine, and "Deulsuni Chrysanthemum Bread," modeled after Hwasun military boots, have established themselves as signature foods unique to the Hwasun festival, attracting the interest of younger generations.

Tourism and Sports Director Cho Hyungchae said, "It is very meaningful that the county's flagship festival, held at the dolmen heritage site listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, has received the Grand Prize for three consecutive years," adding, "We will continue to develop diverse content so that many visitors will come to Hwasun, and we will create a festival full of things to see and enjoy."

Meanwhile, the 2026 Hwasun Spring Flower Festival will be held under the theme of "Spring Flower Night Walk" for 10 days from April 17 to 26 at the Flower River Road in Hwasun-eup and around Namsan Park.