Yeongyang's Spicy Flavor Heats Up Central Seoul... 6 Billion Won Sales in Three Days

Attracting 150,000 Visitors and Generating Pre-Orders
Chili Powder-Focused Marketing Strategy Hits the Mark

The ‘2026 Yeongyang Chili Pepper H.O.T Festival’, a flagship local agricultural specialty festival hosted by Yeongyang County, Gyeongsangbuk-do, attracted 150,000 visitors in the heart of Seoul and achieved sales of 6 billion won.

The 18th 'H.O.T Festival' Strengthens Its Position as a Nationwide Brand Beyond Direct Transactions in the Seoul Metropolitan Area

Photo by Yeongyang County

On August 30, Yeongyang County announced that the '2026 Yeongyang Chili Pepper H.O.T Festival', held at Seoul Plaza for three days from August 27 to 29, successfully concluded with enthusiastic support from metropolitan area consumers.

Held under the theme "Originator of K-Spicy Flavor, Yeongyang Chili Peppers Are Alive", this year's festival drew approximately 150,000 visitors to the venue. Sales at the event site and through TV home shopping totaled 5 billion won, and with additional pre-orders worth around 1 billion won, total sales reached 6 billion won.

It was evaluated that the festival demonstrated its competitiveness as a large-scale direct transaction platform linking producers directly with metropolitan consumers, going beyond a simple local produce promotional event.

In particular, Yeongyang County’s marketing strategy this year effectively targeted the shifting chili pepper consumption market.

The county noted that consumer habits are rapidly changing from using dried chili peppers ground at home to purchasing convenient, ready-to-use chili powder, and thus expanded the supply of high-quality chili powder.

The growing number of consumers seeking chili powder at the festival venue also confirmed this evolving consumption trend.

The Yeongyang Chili Pepper H.O.T Festival, which marks its 18th edition this year, began in 2007 as the first single-theme chili pepper festival hosted by a local government.

By holding a large-scale direct trade event at Seoul Plaza instead of the production region, the festival has served as a key channel for building brand awareness of Yeongyang Chili Peppers.

On the first day of this year’s event, a special live broadcast of Yeongyang County aired on 'KBS 6 o'clock My Hometown', and interactive programs for citizens further heightened the festive atmosphere.

About 80 promotional and sales booths operated at the venue, featuring not only dried chili peppers and chili powder but also apples, sauces, Makgeolli, livestock products, and other local specialties from the Yeongyang area.

Great efforts were also made in quality management.

The Yeongyang County chapter of the Korea Advanced Farmers' Federation strictly managed the quality of dried chili peppers, carefully screening products for sale and working to build consumer trust.

600 million KRW worth of ‘Yeongyang Chili Peppers’ Sold in Three Days at Seoul Plaza, Attracting 150,000 Visitors
[Photo by Yeongyang County]

The introduction of a fixed price system and clear price labeling increased price transparency, while additional customer convenience measures—including parcel delivery services and gift giveaways for customers who made purchases exceeding 300,000 won—were also implemented.

The significance of this year's festival lies in the fact that it resulted in 'actual purchases' rather than just visitor numbers.

In particular, strengthening processing and distribution competitiveness to respond to the chili powder-centered market shift has emerged as a key challenge for further expanding the Yeongyang Chili Pepper brand.

Yeongyang County Mayor Oh Dochang stated, "I am deeply grateful to citizens of Seoul and consumers nationwide who sought out Yeongyang Chili Peppers even in the sweltering heat," adding, "We will further strengthen our high-quality processing infrastructure, keeping pace with the shift in consumer demand from dried chili peppers to chili powder."

He continued, "We will continue to enhance our competitiveness so that Yeongyang Chili Peppers can become a premium agricultural product loved not just in Korea, but around the world."

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