Gov't launches 'no price gouging' campaign at Boryeong Mud Festival

The government is launching a "Tourism Check-In Campaign" this summer to stamp out food price gouging and promote friendly service at local festivals. The initiative kicks off at the Boryeong Mud Festival, one of this year's designated global festivals, and will expand to major events including those in Andong, Jinju and Suwon.

The Ministry of Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Friday that they will hold a "2026 Global Festa Check-In" campaign launch ceremony at the Boryeong Mud Festival, together with the Korea Tourism Organization.

The campaign is part of the tourism saemaul movement, designed to eliminate the recurring problem of overpriced food during the peak summer festival season while improving the welcome extended to foreign tourists. Starting at the Boryeong Mud Festival, it will roll out across all local festivals designated as global festivals this year, including the Andong International Mask Dance Festival, the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival and the Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival.

The name "Check-In" carries a dual meaning: checking food prices and tourist readiness at festival venues, and welcoming foreign visitors as they check in to global festivals celebrating K-culture.

The government is pursuing the campaign along three pillars: fair price, warm welcome and fun experiences.

Under the plan, food price information at festival venues will be made public to encourage informed spending, while improved hospitality and upgraded amenities will boost visitor satisfaction. Hands-on programs drawing on each region's unique cultural content will also be expanded.

Visitor participation events are also on offer. A relay stamp tour will take participants across six global festival sites, and a food price check event called "Meokgeori Allio" will let visitors verify what they are paying for food. Participants can receive keycaps and keyrings featuring festival imagery, along with food coupons for the Boryeong Mud Festival.

The two ministries will inspect the Boryeong Mud Festival site Friday before holding the campaign launch ceremony alongside local governments running global festivals in Boryeong, Andong, Suwon, Jinju and Hwacheon.

The Boryeong Mud Festival has also significantly upgraded its facilities for foreign tourists this year. A new outdoor K-beauty experience zone has been added, and the mud experience — previously available only during the day — has been extended into an evening program linked to the beach. The festival has also added more luggage lockers and introduced a dedicated transportation platform and mobile payment system for foreign visitors.

Kim Dae-hyun, second vice minister of culture, sports and tourism, said the campaign is part of the tourism saemaul movement aimed at spreading fair pricing and a culture of hospitality — qualities tourists value most at festivals. "Starting with the Boryeong Mud Festival, we will extend the campaign across all global festivals and develop local festivals into premier tourism content that visitors from around the world can enjoy with confidence," he said.