Goesan Kimchi Festival: A Celebration of Korean Culinary Tradition
Goesan Travel
Must-Visit Places in Goesan County
Goesan Kimchi Festival
Kimjang is a traditional Korean culture of making and storing large quantities of kimchi to prepare for the cold winter.
In 2023, it was also listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. However, it is slowly disappearing as agriculture and lifestyle change. What was once an essential ritual, Kimjang is now becoming a choice. This traditional culture continues to be preserved in Goesan. Every November, the Goesan Kimchi Culture Festival is held to connect the Kimjang culture from the past to the present, and visitors can prepare for winter in one-stop. This year, the Goesan Kimchi Festival was held for four days from November 6th to 9th at the Goesan Organic Expo Plaza.
On the last day of the festival, I visited the Goesan Organic Expo Plaza. An advertising balloon announcing the Goesan Kimchi Festival floated in the sky beyond Dongjincheon Stream. The theme for this year, 2025, was 'All the Kimchi in the World, Bonfire Party,' introducing traditional Kimjang culture. It was packed with things to enjoy, including one-stop Kimjang making, drive-through Kimjang, and bonfire grilling.
The Kimchi Festival takes place against the backdrop of the Organic Expo Plaza's large lawn and outdoor stage, with rest areas, experience booths, and Kimjang-making spaces. The open space with Dongjincheon Stream in between also offered a chance to enjoy the deepening autumn.
During the festival, the outdoor area became a one-stop Kimjang-making venue. The pre-registration for the one-stop Kimjang making was closed early, with about 1,000 teams participating amid great enthusiasm.
In Goesan, salted cabbage for Kimjang was first introduced in 1996 under the name 'Natural One Cabbage.' And in 2025, the 7th Goesan Kimchi Festival will be held. Goesan cabbage is fresh and delicious due to the fertile soil and clean water. There are also Goesan clean chili peppers, an essential ingredient for Kimjang. The salted cabbage is made with Sinan sea salt and Goesan cabbage, resulting in a deep and rich flavor.
On the last day of the festival, one-stop Kimjang making started outdoors early in the morning. Natural One Cabbage Goesan salted cabbage and seasoning were prepared, and it was carried out non-stop from mixing on the spot to packing it in containers for transportation. Participants came lightly empty-handed and prepared perfect winter food.
As you spread the seasoning on the cabbage that was full in the basket, the basket soon becomes empty, and kimchi containers filled with kimchi pile up. It was a perfect winter preparation completed with excellent agricultural products such as Goesan salted cabbage and Goesan clean chili peppers. Although greenhouse farming has become common and kimchi consumption is decreasing, the kimchi is becoming a year's worth of food as the utilization of aged kimchi increases.
Along with the one-stop Kimjang making, a drive-through was also held. Kimjang booths from the village head association and Hangawon were lined up, and Kimjang was made through on-the-spot applications at each booth. In addition to cabbage kimchi, there were many kinds such as ponytail radish kimchi and green onion kimchi. With salted cabbage and seasoning as the basis, along with round containers and trays for Kimjang and the hands of village officials, it became a very comfortable Kimjang making.
During the festival, traditional Kimjang scenes unfold at the Goesan Organic Expo Plaza. Although the process of pulling and salting cabbage was omitted, the scene of spreading seasoning with salted cabbage and seasoning next to it unfolds everywhere. The tasting that took place at each booth was a moment to taste the kimchi from the neighbor's house, and the scene of mixing and filling it up was a feeling of becoming rich just by looking at it.
Various events were also held for four days of the festival. The Korea Kimjang Contest was held, as well as Master Kimjang Exhibition with Master Lee Ha-yeon, the history of cabbage kimchi, and Goesan Kimjang Brazier Gathering. Kimjang making with the master, which was conducted by pre-application, reveals the master's secrets and is applied in everyday life.
The history of cabbage kimchi could be seen from the beginning to the present through the planning and directing of Cho Eun-jeong of the Food Space Research Institute. Wild cabbage, which grew naturally in Eastern Europe 2000 years ago, crossed over to China and developed as a natural hybrid around 7c. In Korea, it first appeared in 'Sanga Yorok' around 1450. As we entered the 1800s, various kimchi developed according to region and class, such as autumn pepper cabbage kimchi, pickled oyster kimchi, royal court salted broth kimchi, croaker cabbage kimchi, and ssam kimchi.
Since then, in modern times, it has continued to be whole kimchi and aged kimchi, completing today's cabbage kimchi form.
Lee Ha-yeon, a kimchi master, recreated King Charles of England's kimchi and an episode is introduced together. In November 2023, when King Charles III of England visited New Malden Koreatown in London, Korea sent him kimchi made directly for his birthday as a gift. At the time, the scene of the delivery was introduced through domestic and foreign media, and the king who received the kimchi left a pleasant joke, saying, "Isn't it so spicy that it will blow my head off?"
The Goesan Kimchi Festival was even richer with the bonfire party. A firewood fire was lit in the backyard of the Culture and Sports Center, and small brazier were also prepared in various places. Visitors purchase chestnuts and skewers and enjoy a bonfire party on the spot.
Lastly, Saemaeul Restaurant recreated 'The day of making Kimjang is the day of eating Bossam.' Buckwheat pancakes, banquet noodles, and boiled pork were sold, so you can enjoy a hearty meal with freshly mixed Kimjang kimchi. Banquet noodles with a cool and rich broth containing vegetables such as zucchini, and boiled pork with a soft texture without any gamey smell were enough to decorate the finale of the Kimjang Festival.
In addition, there were plenty of things to see and enjoy, including traditional cultural experiences with Hong Beomsik's ancient house, free photo printing, rest areas, and various performances on the outdoor stage. The 2025 Goesan Kimchi Festival has ended, but village Kimjang experience centers are operated in 15 villages in 9 regions of Goesan for a month in November. If you haven't made Kimjang yet, you may want to visit the Goesan-gun village Kimjang experience center.
The Goesan Kimchi Festival was a Kimjang experience where you came with a light body and mind, finished preparing for winter with both hands full, and felt relieved.
[Address]
Goesan Kimchi Festival: 75-1, Imgeokjeong-ro, Goesan-eup, Goesan-gun
Source :https://blog.naver.com/goesan-gun/224081130211
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