Mungyeong City in Gyeongbuk said the Mungyeong Apple Festival opened on October 17 and will continue until November 1. The festival consists of events themed on Mungyeong Gamhong apples, along with promotional and sales events.
The programme is divided into official events, special sales events, hands-on activities and special events. Following a celebratory performance at the opening ceremony, special sales booths for Mungyeong apples and booths selling agricultural specialties are operating, and hands-on programmes have been prepared, including apple picking at farms, a wooden playground, apple sticker tattoos, apple paper hat making and cornhole tossing. Special events such as an apple-sharing event and Apple Day are also being held, and an online store is operating for consumers who cannot visit the festival grounds.
On the opening ceremony stage on October 17, Mungyeong City appointed Japanese apple expert Kuroda Yasumasa as the 3rd honorary ambassador of Mungyeong City under the 9th popularly elected administration. Kuroda has taken part in Korea-Japan exchanges of apple cultivation techniques since 2002 and has served as an adviser to the Mungyeong Apple Study Room since 2016. He has written about apple cultivation techniques in the Japanese magazine Gendai Nogyo (Modern Agriculture), has served in posts including president of the Daikomachi apple association, and received the 30th Mungyeong Award last year.
The city said it expects Kuroda's experience to help raise the brand value of Mungyeong apples and expand Korea-Japan technical exchanges. The appointment was arranged to mark the opening of the festival.
On October 16, ahead of the opening, the Mungyeong Gamhong Apple Cultivation Research Society held a contest at the city's Agricultural Technology Center to select the Gamhong apple with the highest sugar content. The grand prize went to Ttaengbogi Apple (owner Lee Jeong-bok), which recorded a sugar content of 23.5 Brix, the gold prize went to Dolma Farm (owner Ham Hwa-sik), and the silver prize went to Ttabom Farm (owner Lee Hyeong-u). Gamhong is a variety that can be harvested for about 1 month from mid-October, and the festival organisers put the average sugar content of Mungyeong Gamhong apples at 16.5 Brix.
For more information about the festival, call 054-571-7677. The festival continues until November 1.
The detailed schedule is available on the festival details page.