Uijeongbu City: Merchants' Heartfelt Support Brings Food and Vitality to Neighborhood Businesses at Budae Jjigae Festival

Held Oct. 24-25 on Budae Jjigae Street
Free tastings and discounts offered by 11 businesses
Representatives from Yamato University and the International Ramen Association visit

Uijeongbu City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kim Wonki), announced on October 26 that the 19th Uijeongbu Budae Jjigae Festival, held on October 24 and 25 around Budae Jjigae Street, had concluded.

Uijeongbu Mayor Kim Won-gi cooks budaejjigae for visitors at the 19th Uijeongbu Budaejjigae Festival. Provided by Uijeongbu City.

The festival was hosted by the Commercial District Promotion Center of Uijeongbu Urban Corporation and organized by the Uijeongbu Budae Jjigae Premiumization Association. It was designed to promote budae jjigae, a signature local dish, and revitalize neighborhood businesses. Street merchants voluntarily covered part of the event costs, with additional support from various sectors.

The festival featured the 3rd Cooking Competition, which used budae jjigae ingredients, and a free tasting event with 11 businesses on the street. Competition entrants presented original dishes made with budae jjigae ingredients, while participating businesses welcomed visitors with their own distinctive versions of budae jjigae. Street performances, magic shows, hands-on activity booths, and a flea market were also held.

Discounts were also offered to encourage visitors to spend at local businesses. Customers who spent at least KRW 20,000 at participating businesses received a KRW 2,000 discount coupon, and each business also offered its own KRW 1,000 discount.

Earlier, from October 8 to 21, the city held an online promotional event and awarded budae jjigae vouchers to 100 people selected by lottery. The festival grounds also had promotional booths providing information about the Carbon Neutral Point System, energy conservation, mental health, and the Hometown Love Donation Program.

Representatives from the Faculty of Sociology at Yamato University in Japan and the International Ramen Association also visited the festival to learn about Uijeongbu's budae jjigae culture.

Mayor Kim Wonki said, "The cooking competition, now in its third year, provided a meaningful opportunity to discover new flavors and possibilities for Uijeongbu budae jjigae and showcase the appeal of our food culture. I hope the Uijeongbu Budae Jjigae Festival, which has continued thanks to the efforts of local merchants and everyone involved, will help revitalize the local commercial district."

He added, "I would also like to thank the representatives from Yamato University and the International Ramen Association in Japan for joining us at the festival. We will continue working to promote the excellence of Uijeongbu budae jjigae and revitalize the local commercial district."

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