Food Prices and Portions Disclosed in Advance... Six "K-Global Festivals" to Be Nurtured

Culture Ministry and Tourism Organization Announce "Global Festa Check-in" at Boryeong Mud Festival
Strengthening Fair Pricing, Foreign Tourist Hospitality, and Local Experiences
Operation of "Meokguri Allio" Service for Transparency in Festival Food Offerings

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization are working to strengthen the global competitiveness of regional festivals in Korea by focusing on fair pricing, hospitality for foreigners, and unique local experiences.

Officials from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea Tourism Organization, and local governments posed for a commemorative photo pledging fair pricing, hospitality towards foreigners, and enhanced local experiences at the '2026 Global Festa Check-in' proclamation ceremony held on the 31st of last month at the Chungnam Boryeong Mud Festival. Photo by Korea Tourism Organization

On July 31, at the Boryeong Mud Festival in Chungnam, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization held the proclamation ceremony for the "2026 Global Festa Check-in" foreign tourist hospitality campaign, according to a statement released on August 3.

The event was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Korea Tourism Organization, as well as officials from major global festivals such as Boryeong, Suwon, Andong, Jinju, and Hwacheon. Participants announced three core initiatives: fair pricing, hospitality for foreign tourists, and unique regional experiences. They also discussed joint improvement plans to create a more foreigner-friendly festival environment.

At the venue, organizers inspected the operation of "Meokguri Allio," a service that publicly discloses information such as menus, prices, and product weights for festival food vendors at least three days before the festival starts. Officials compared the data available online with actual sales information at the festival site, closely checking for consistency in pricing and portion sizes.

The Korea Tourism Organization also prepared experiential programs to attract foreign tourists to the festivals. Initiatives included the "Where's Wally" stamp tour introducing six global festivals, a campaign promoting safety culture for marine travel, and a real-time verification event for Meokguri Allio at the festival.

Six global festivals will receive focused support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization over the next three years: the Boryeong Mud Festival, Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, Andong International Mask Dance Festival, Jinju Namgang Yudeung (Lantern) Festival, Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival, and Hwacheon Sancheoneo (Mountain Trout) Ice Festival.

Daegu Chimaek Festival, Jeongnamjin Jangheung Water Festival, Busan International Rock Festival, and Sunchang Fermented Sauce Festival have been designated as preliminary global festivals and will receive promotional support.

Park Jung-woong, head of the National Tourism Headquarters at the Korea Tourism Organization, said, "We will enhance the global competitiveness of Korean festivals by expanding trust-based services like Meokguri Allio, and by creating festival environments in which pricing, hospitality, and experiences are balanced."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.