Lee Sangil: "I Will Lead Yongin to Greater Heights"... 60,000 Attend Joayong Festival

Yongin City Successfully Hosts the “2026 Korea Joayong Festival”

30 Institutions and 42 Characters Gather to Mark the 30th Anniversary of City Status

Science, Food, and Youth Programs All in One Place... 60,000 Visitors Celebrate

Sangil Lee: “Plans for Semiconductor and AI Festivals... Showcasing Yongin’s Unique Identity”

Approximately 60,000 people visited the “2026 Korea Joayong Festival,” held over two days to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Yongin Special City’s elevation to city status in Gyeonggi Province. The event featured character parades, hands-on science activities, autograph sessions with sports stars, and a local agricultural food fair, attracting families and group visitors throughout the festival.

On the 3rd, 42 characters from 30 domestic and international organizations gathered at Yongin Mir Stadium for the '2026 Korea Joayong Festival' to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Yongin City's promotion. Provided by Yongin City

Yongin City (led by Mayor Sangil Lee) announced on the 4th that an estimated 60,000 citizens and domestic and international visitors attended the festival with the theme “Let’s Enjoy Together! 30th Anniversary of Yongin,” held at Yongin Mir Stadium on October 3rd and 4th.

The Joayong Festival, which began last year at the suggestion of Mayor Sangil Lee, expanded in scale this year. In 2025, 29 characters from 18 organizations participated, attracting approximately 45,000 visitors. This year, 42 characters from 30 domestic and overseas organizations gathered in one place.

At the event, Yongin City’s character “Joayong” was joined by Everland’s “Lenny” and “Lala” and Samsung Electronics’ “Dalsoo,” who took photos with visitors and received enthusiastic responses. Long lines formed at the Joayong booth and the souvenir roulette station, as children—hand in hand with parents—waited their turn.

During the character parade on the first day, Mayor Sangil Lee marched together with Joayong and local citizens. At the ceremony commemorating the 31st Yongin Citizens’ Day, representatives from domestic partner cities, international cities, and related organizations attended to celebrate the city’s 30th anniversary of elevation.

Lee Sang-il, mayor of Yongin City, participated in the "Joayong Parade" of the "2026 Republic of Korea Joayong Festival" held at Yongin Mireu Stadium on the 3rd, walking hand in hand with children and marching together with citizens and Joayong. Provided by Yongin City

At the ceremony, Mayor Lee stated, “When Yongin Special City was elevated in 1996, the population was just 270,000. In just 30 years, we have surpassed 1.11 million, making Yongin the eighth largest city in Korea by population. Now, as a core city for Korea’s semiconductor industry, Yongin Special City is embarking on a path towards becoming a metropolitan city of 1.5 million.”

He added, “Going forward, we will do our utmost to expand organic transportation networks, enhance educational infrastructure, and improve welfare services for culture, arts, physical fitness, and citizens’ health.”

The “Joayong Classic Car Exhibition” also offered a unique spectacle. The One Classic, based in Baekam-myeon, exhibited models such as Cadillac, Ssangyong Kalista, and Porsche 356, drawing citizens’ attention.

There was also an autograph session with sports stars. Woo Sanghyeok, a member of the Yongin Municipal Track & Field Team who won a bronze medal in men’s high jump at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games; Jeong Haeun, who claimed gold in the women’s individual poomsae in taekwondo; and Lee Donggook, technical director of Yongin FC, along with player Suk Hyunjun, gave autographs and took commemorative photos with citizens.

On the 3rd, citizens are having a soccer match against humanoids at the Cyber Science Festival. Provided by Yongin City

On the second day, October 4, the event continued with character dance performances, random play dances, and the Joayong Parade. A variety of programs—including live drawing shows and cosplay—continued to engage visitors, adding vibrancy throughout the venue.

At the Cyber Science Festival, which ran in conjunction with the main festival, experiences with robots and drones proved popular. At the robot soccer experience area, a humanoid robot acted as a striker while children played as goalkeepers, resulting in resounding cheers.

Some popular activities had reservations close early or ran out of supplies. At the drone soccer experience booth, a notice was posted announcing that reservations were full. The make-your-own clock event using semiconductor wafers exhausted all prepared materials by around 3 p.m. on the 3rd, requiring them to use materials originally set aside for the next day.

A booth official said, “On the first day, we prepared enough material for 150 clocks, but with over 500 visitors, we ended up making it possible for 230 citizens to participate by using part of the next day’s allocation.”

Mayor Sang-il Lee is speaking with booth officials at the Food Festa on the 3rd. Provided by Yongin City

The 7th Lifelong Learning Expo offered a wide range of experiential activities and citizen performances related to everyday life, the environment, and health. At “Usefulness of Life,” children learned daily habits by folding laundry themselves, and at “Usefulness of Health,” they learned self-massage techniques. Experiences such as making natural detergent and four-cut photo printing were also enthusiastically received by families and those visiting with children.

At the youth festival held under the theme “Youth? You Want It? I Want It Too!” various programs were offered for young people to engage and interact, such as “Waralala Afternoon Beer Meeting,” “Eolrebeolle Board Game,” “Wudangtang Fake Finder,” and “Yorijori Festival Tour Challenge.” Workshops at YouthLAB and programs led by local youth instructors were also provided. At the photo zone featuring a 360-degree camera, participants enjoyed shooting and instantly checking short-form videos.

The Food Festa celebrated the launch of the Yongin agricultural product joint brand “Yongin Farmiz Joayong” by offering a “Farmiz Photo Zone,” “Catch Farmy,” and “Farmiz Mother-of-Pearl Card Decoration.”

At the Food Industry Expo, Mayor Lee and citizens made a giant bibimbap for 300 servings, sharing it with festival attendees.

Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin Special City, is greeting students participating in the festival. Provided by Yongin City

The “1st Baekok Rice Baking Masters Championship,” under the theme “Baking New Possibilities with Baekok Rice,” showcased pastries and bread made with Baekok Rice. The grand prize went to Seo Kangheon, CEO of Bonnouvelle Bakery, who presented “Baekok Campagne.” The top prize was awarded to Vice President Choi Jongwon of Mont Pair Bakery for the “Black Rice Bread,” while the excellence prize went to Vice President Hong Dupyo of Stay Bread for the “Baekok Stone Oven Ube Cream Bread.”

Baek Hyo-Young, who visited from Heungdeok-dong, Giheung-gu with family, said, “The weather was beautiful this year and there were so many attractions that the children had a great time. It would be even better if a few more commemorative gifts were available at the experience booths.”

Yongin City worked together with police, fire, and other relevant agencies to deploy safety personnel and volunteers and operate a medical support system. A shuttle bus also ran between Yongin City Hall and the festival grounds.

Mayor Sangil Lee stated, “I will further develop the Joayong Festival, which began last year, and am also considering new festivals centered around semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI). By gathering a wide range of ideas and opinions from citizens, we will create a festival with unique characteristics exclusive to Yongin.”

The 2026 Korea Joayang Festival featured the "Joayang Classic Car Exhibition," attracting the attention of citizens. The photo shows Mayor Lee Sangil touring the exhibited vehicles with the citizens. Provided by Yongin City

He added, “Together with citizens, I will do my utmost to lead Yongin to greater heights and create a more vibrant and dignified city.”

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