The 21st Sunchang Jangnyu (fermented sauce) Festival will be held for 4 days from October 15 to 18 in Sunchang County, Jeonbuk. The venue is the area around Sunchang Traditional Gochujang Folk Village and Sunchang Fermentation Theme Park, and it runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

This year's theme is 'The World's Taste, Captured in Sunchang.' It is a food culture festival built around jang, the fermented sauces represented by gochujang (red chili paste), doenjang (soybean paste) and ganjang (soy sauce), and other fermented foods, with hands-on activities, performances, exhibitions, competitions and food programmes running together.

The signature programme, 'Global Gochujang Making,' brings Korean and foreign participants together to make gochujang themselves. The 'Sunchang Gochujang Royal Tribute Procession' re-enacts as a parade the scene of Sunchang gochujang being presented to the king during the Joseon Dynasty, and at the 'Global Jang Culture School' visitors can learn about and experience Sunchang's fermented sauce culture. 'Sunchang Fermentation Village 1997' is also prepared as a main programme.

Programmes in which visitors take part directly will also run. In the K-food experience programme, visitors can make kimchi, makgeolli (rice wine), jangajji (pickled vegetables) and meju (fermented soybean blocks). Other events include the augmented reality mission games 'Find the Jangchuwang' and 'Find the Golden Meju,' a spicy food contest, a fermented sauce gourmet cooking class and a global fermented sauce cooking competition. 'World Tour of Flavours, Sauce Lounge,' where sauces are displayed and can be sampled, is also prepared.

Performances begin with a celebratory show at the opening ceremony, followed by a stage combining gugak (traditional Korean music) and classical music, a performance of jultagi (tightrope walking), a World Cultural Heritage, and the Sunchang Global K-POP Song Festival, and wrap up with the closing ceremony and an autumn concert. In addition, there will be a global K-food market, K-culture exhibitions and experiences, Sunchang Jumak (a traditional tavern), local art exhibitions and performances, and farm produce sales and food booths. For more information, call 063-650-1624.

Event overview

  • Dates: October 15–October 18
  • Hours: 9 a.m.–9 p.m.
  • Inquiries: 063-650-1624

Also in Jeonbuk during the same period

5 other festivals are being held in Jeonbuk during the Sunchang Jangnyu Festival.

By Festival Times' count, 49 festivals are taking place nationwide during the Sunchang Jangnyu Festival. The full October schedule can be filtered by region and date on the festival schedule page.

The detailed schedule is available on the festival details page. Programmes and fees may change depending on the organisers' circumstances.