Pohang noodle festival wraps up successful 3-day run in Guryongpo

The city of Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province concluded the 2026 Pohang Haetteumyeon Noodle Festival, a three-day event held at Ara Plaza in Guryongpo from Oct. 2.

According to Pohang city officials Monday, the festival grounds at Ara Plaza featured three dedicated zones — the Homibando Noodle Zone, the Pohang Noodle Restaurant Zone and the Unique Noodles and Global Zone — where visitors could sample Pohang's signature noodle dishes alongside a wide variety of other food offerings.

The zones showcased noodles emblematic of the Homibando peninsula, including mori noodles, haepung noodles, hoe noodles and red crab knife-cut noodles, as well as the top 10 Pohang noodle restaurants, each presenting their signature dishes.

A particular highlight was a live demonstration using a 60-year-old haepung noodle-making machine operated on-site to show visitors the process of kneading dough and pulling it into noodles, vividly illustrating Pohang's long-standing noodle manufacturing traditions and food culture.

Beyond simply tasting the finished dishes, visitors could watch the entire noodle-making process firsthand, giving them a deeper appreciation of the history and stories behind Pohang's noodle culture.

The festival also offered a program spotlighting noodle cultures from abroad. Visitors could taste Sanuki udon from Kagawa Prefecture in Japan and Yangchun noodles from Yangzhou in China, bringing together a diverse range of domestic and international noodle traditions under one roof.

In addition, the event ran a series of interactive programs — including a noodle competition, a noodle playground and a noodle-making workshop — allowing visitors of all ages to get hands-on and enjoy noodles in a variety of ways.

"This festival was not just about tasting Pohang's noodles — it was a chance to encounter the alleyways, history, people and culture of Guryongpo all at once," Pohang Mayor Park Yong-seon said. "I am grateful to the local residents and everyone who visited the festival."