Yeongcheon holds festival review session, eyes improvements for next year

Yeongcheon City in North Gyeongsang Province held its 2026 Joint Festival Evaluation Session on Monday at the city hall video conference room, reviewing this year's festival results and discussing ways to improve next year's events.

About 30 people attended the session, including Yeongcheon Mayor Kim Byong-sam, city lawmakers, representatives from festival organizing bodies and evaluation committee members.

Four events were held under this year's joint festival program — the 52nd Yeongcheon Culture and Arts Festival, the 24th Yeongcheon Oriental Medicine Festival, the 14th Yeongcheon Wine Festa and the Yeongcheon Starlight Hanwoo Grilling Festival — drawing a combined 106,000 visitors.

The Yeongcheon Wine Festa stood out, generating sales of about 90 million won ($67,100) through tastings and one-day classes, a 26 percent increase from the previous year. The Starlight Hanwoo Grilling Festival also posted strong results, with sales reaching 210 million won — up 62.8 percent year-on-year — driven by brisk on-site spending.

The Culture and Arts Festival drew positive responses through hands-on activities, exhibitions and the Wangpyeong Song Contest, while the Oriental Medicine Festival boosted family visitor satisfaction by expanding its dokkaebi character program, a children's zone, free medical consultations and health experience programs.

However, organizers identified several areas for improvement, including parking shortages and traffic congestion caused by weekend visitor surges, smoke and odor management at food vendor booths, and greater participation by local businesses.

"We need to actively link local tourism products with the festivals so that visitors stay longer in Yeongcheon," Mayor Kim said. "Next year, we will present a more polished festival experience that encourages people to come back."