Gimcheon Kimbap Festival draws 170,000 visitors in record-breaking run

The 2026 Gimcheon Kimbap Festival has wrapped up to resounding success.

Gimcheon City said Tuesday that 170,000 visitors from across the country flocked to this year's festival, held from Friday to Sunday at Jikji Culture Park, Samyeongdaesa Park and an eco-friendly nature park in the city, bringing the event to a triumphant close.

Now in its third year, the festival was extended from two days to three in response to strong public demand, and the venue was expanded accordingly.

Despite adverse conditions brought by a typhoon, organizers welcomed the large crowds by implementing thorough safety measures and an improved operational system.

Gimcheon City drew on two years of experience running the event to focus on improving visitor convenience.

A QR-based ordering and payment system developed in partnership with Kakao Pay cut waiting times for kimbap purchases, while more than 60 shuttle buses, wide-area shuttle services and on-demand tourist taxis helped boost accessibility.

A dedicated Kakao Maps service, a luggage storage service and expanded women's restroom facilities also improved the overall visitor experience.

Kimbap — the festival's centerpiece — proved a major draw in its own right.

More than 60 varieties of kimbap were on offer, alongside related products developed by local small-business owners, including kimbap bread, triangle kimbap bread and kimbap-themed dishware, all of which drew considerable attention from visitors.

Merchandise and hands-on programs featuring the festival's official mascot, Kkodalyi, also helped drive the event's popularity.

The Kkodalyi merchandise shop, which expanded its lineup to 29 items, attracted an average of more than 10,000 visitors a day. Family-oriented programs such as a kimbap-making workshop kept a steady stream of attendees engaged, and the festival demonstrated the growth potential of character-based content as a commercial industry.

"I am deeply grateful to the residents and tourists from across the country who visited the festival grounds despite the bad weather and the typhoon," Gimcheon Mayor Bae Nak-ho said. "We will thoroughly address any shortcomings identified during the festival's operation and work to establish the Gimcheon Kimbap Festival as one of South Korea's premier festivals."