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This New Year from December 31 to January 1, Gangneung City will hold its annual ‘Sunrise Event’. As well as visiting the area’s attractions such as Gyeongpodae town, visitors will be able to welcome in the New Year by watching a beautiful sunrise. The ‘Sunrise Event’ will include the countdown to the New Year, fireworks, and various enjoyable cultural events.


Gangwon-do(Yangyang-gun)

Namdaecheon Stream begins in the Mt. Odaesan Buyeon-dong Valley, gaining size and strength as it nears Eoseongjeolli in Hyeonbuk-myeon before reaching the East Sea. Salmon that were spawned in Namdaecheon Stream swim to the East Sea to grow for three to five years in the Bering Sea before returning to Namdaecheon Stream between late October and November.The Salmon Festival in Yangyang began as a salmon-fishing contest in mid November 1996, and has been held as Yangyang-gun’s festival since 1997. Every year, it offers a variety of salmon-related events and attracts a large crowd of people eager to fish for salmon.Festival Program: Immediately following official events such as Yongwangje (a ritual praying for a good catch) Bonghaeng and the opening ceremony, fun-packed programs await visitors. These include catching a salmon/trout with the bare hands, and salmon-cooking exhibits. The bare-hand salmon-catching continues to draw more and more participants every year, and is particularly popular with families, as all members can enjoy fun moments together.For this event, the office of Yangyang-gun prepares a total of about 3,000 salmon, some supplied by the Yangyang Naesumyeon Research Center and others netted by professional fishers. The salmon are then released in part of the stream about 30 centimeters deep, which is blocked by a net on either end. The fish caught by participants can either be cooked on-site or cut and cleaned to take home.Festival Highlights: Most salmon are over 40 centimeters long and are great fun to catch. The food court also offers a variety of salmon dishes to tempt visitors' appetites. The Namdaecheon Stream runs near the famous Mt. Seoraksan, which is great for hiking and for viewing the changing colors of the foliage in late fall. 


Chungcheongnam-do(Geumsan-gun)

Bogok Village in Gunbuk-myeon, Geumsan-gun, Chungcheongnam-do boasts the largest colony of wild cherry blossoms, spanning over an area of 10,000 ㎡. The area offers an unpolluted region with various blooming flowers such as bridal wreath, bunch berry, weigela, ginger plant, and wild flowers. Also, it is perfect as a healing area with its calm ambience thanks to the late flowering time created by relatively low temperatures compared to the flatland, as it attracts less people than other places where flowers bloom early. The walking course called Mountain flower (sankkot) sullae-gil is well known as an eco-friendly well-being course that blends well with nature and art.


Gyeongsangbuk-do(Seongju-gun)

Seongju Life Culture Festival will be held every year with the theme of “birth, life, and death.” Various cultural events will be held including reenacting the parade to bury the king’s umbilical cord, a traditional funeral, ancestral ceremonies, and more. Being the most famous city for the oriental melon in Korea, the festival will also showcase oriental melons, and a many dishes that use the fruit. Visitors can also try out gamju (sweet rice wine), the specialty of Seongju City.


Chungcheongbuk-do(Yeongdong-gun)

The Korea Wine Festival takes place annually at the Yeongdong County Gymnasium and the area around the Yeongdong-based wine company, Wine Korea Inc. Chungbuk Yeongdong County is the largest grape producing region in Korea and was recently designated a 'Grape/Wine Special Industry Zone,' the only one of its kind in the country. An event for wine lovers and Yeongdong residents alike, the festival offers a variety of musical performances, foods, and programs that will introduce visitors to the world of wine and cultivate a genuine spirit of fun. The festival will be holding an exhibit of some of the world's most popular wines, along with wines made from grapes grown in Yeongdong County. Other festival highlights include a wine & jazz concert, a wine quiz competition, a wine auction, and hands-on experience programs such as making wine soap, wine chocolate, or wine Tteokbokki (rice pasta in spicy sauce). At the festival, Wine Korea Inc. releases its ‘Nouveau’ wine made from the year’s grape harvest.


Busan(Suyeong-gu)

The Busan Biennale is held in Busan Museum of Art from October to November. Visitors can enjoy the main exhibitions, special exhibitions and additional events with 380 art pieces from 30 nations.


Jeollanam-do(Suncheon-si)

The Suncheon Citizen's Day Event is held at the grass plaza inside the Garden Expo venue. The event is held to celebrate the success of the Suncheon Bay International Garden Expo and to thank the residents of Suncheon-si for their support. Booths are set up at the plaza so visitors can enjoy the programs such as the singing contest, concerts, yutnori (Korean traditional board game), arm wrestling, jegichagi (Korean hacky sack), and tuho (arrow throwing). Visitors can also enjoy the various perfomances from participating artist groups, gukak (Korean traditional music) orchestra, and nongak (traditional Korean music performed by farmers) bands from the different municipalities.


Gyeongsangnam-do(Gimhae-si)

Jinyeong area of Gimhae has a perfect climate and natural environment to cultivate sweet persimmons. The annual average temperature is 14℃ and the mountains around the area protect the town from sea breezes and typhoons. With skilled farmers having over 80 years of persimmon cultivation experience, Jinyeong is one of the most famous regions for persimmons in Korea. The Jinyeong Sweet Persimmon Festival is held every October to celebrate a year of good harvest.


Jeollanam-do(Suncheon-si)

Nakan Folk Village is comprised of 200 thatched houses with residents who do farming for their living. The village remains the way it looked back in Joseon Dynasty and was designated as a historical site No. 302. The Nakan Folk Festival is a representative festival in the village, where traditional and contemporary meet. The festival includes buchae-chum (dance with a fan), gukak performance, royal guard changing ceremonies, an historical impersonation of Im Gyeong-eop (a prominent Korean general during the Joseon Dynasty), and many other activities that one can feel the life of the olden days.