"Tapping into Koreans' love of rice"... This year's Minam Festival spotlights 'Haenam rice'

2026 Haenam Minam Festival to open at Duryunsan on Oct. 30
Minam Food Pavilion, Haenam's eight signature specialties promise a "Feast of Flavors"

Haenam County, the nation’s largest rice-producing region, has chosen “Haenam rice” as the centerpiece of this year’s Haenam Minam Festival, drawing food lovers to the area. The festival will offer visitors a chance to enjoy high-quality rice grown in a pristine natural environment alongside Haenam’s abundant agricultural, marine and specialty products. A large Minam Food Pavilion with seating for 1,000 is also planned, promising autumn visitors a feast of diverse flavors.

Haenam County in Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City announced on the 23rd that the 2026 Haenam Minam Festival will be held for three days starting October 30 in the area around Duryunsan Provincial Park in Samsan-myeon.

The 2026 Haenam Minam Festival will be held from the 30th in the area of Duryunsan Provincial Park in Samsan-myeon. Provided by Haenam County.

Haenam County produces high-quality rice, including Ttangkkeut Haetsal, a leading brand praised both in Korea and overseas, thanks to its extensive farmland and clean natural environment. Each year, the Minam Festival selects one of Haenam’s signature agricultural and specialty products, such as cabbage, sweet potatoes or seaweed, as its main theme. This year, it has chosen Haenam rice.

A dedicated Haenam Rice Pavilion at the festival will feature exhibits offering an overview of the rice’s history, cultivation process and processed food products. Visitors will be able to buy high-quality rice at affordable prices through direct sales and delivery services offered by the Haenam County Local Food Store and the online shopping mall Haenam Miso. Online broadcasts linked to live commerce will also be held.

The opening event will feature a themed performance depicting the rice harvest, with no separate ceremony. Festivalgoers can also take part in rice-based cooking activities and sample steamed rice. The main attractions are the 1,000-seat Minam Food Pavilion and the Snack Pavilion, set up to give visitors a taste of Haenam’s local cuisine.

The food pavilion, featuring local restaurants, will offer a variety of dishes, including duck soup and pork banquet noodles from Gondre Mandeure; raw beef bibimbap from Daedong Myeongpum Hanwoo; pork cutlet and spicy pork rice bowls from Brussels; Hwangchil bossam from Bangapda Chinguya; a chopped steak set meal from Myeongnyang Charcoal-Grilled Ribs; and spicy squid salad and boiled pig’s head from Suyeonga.

The Snack Pavilion, with participation from residents’ councils, food research groups and civic organizations, will offer distinctive desserts and snacks, including gelato and hamburgers from Arong Cafe; three varieties of glutinous rice cakes from Janchi Tteokjip; giant chicken skewers from the Okcheon-myeon Residents’ Council; and ginseng hotteok from the Sani-myeon Residents’ Council.

Outside the festival grounds, nearby chicken and duck restaurants and the Well-Being Food District will also serve signature Haenam dishes, including Haenam-style chicken course meals, one of Haenam’s eight signature specialties, and barley ssambap from Daeheungsa Temple. The other specialties are Haenam gim-ssam samchi hoe—Spanish mackerel sashimi wrapped in seaweed—Haenam Hwangchil dishes, Ttangkkeut Hanwoo beef dishes, Haenam-style set meals, summer hagfish and sweet potato desserts, all expected to delight visitors.

A county official said, “The Haenam Minam Festival will be an opportunity to experience and purchase a wide range of Haenam’s agricultural, marine and specialty products, including Haenam rice, as they enter the harvest season. We hope visitors will enjoy the country’s highest-quality agricultural and specialty products, along with delicious food, in Haenam’s abundant autumn setting.”

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