'2nd Korea Grand Festival' Opens Oct. 29... Up to 50% Off

Held Nationwide for 18 Days Through November 15
Major Discounts on Cars, Home Appliances, Agricultural, Livestock and Fishery Products
Discount Rates on Local Love Gift Certificates Raised to as High as 17%

The government will hold the 2nd Korea Grand Festival to boost domestic consumption and revitalize local commercial districts.

The government announced on October 27 that it will hold the 2nd Korea Grand Festival for 18 days, from October 29 to November 15.

The Korea Grand Festival is a nationwide shopping festival that brings together discount events previously run separately by different ministries. Following its launch last year, this year's event will focus on ensuring that consumer spending supports sales at small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners, while revitalizing local commercial districts.

The event will bring together major promotions, including the Donghaeng Festival (Ministry of SMEs and Startups), K-Sale Festa (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy), Lodging Sale Festa (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), discount promotions on kimchi-making ingredients and Hanwoo beef (Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs), the Fisheries Grand Sale and Fisheries Industry Win-Win Festival (Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries), Korea Duty-Free Festa (Korea Customs Service), and special deals at Korea Post Shopping (Ministry of Science and ICT).

A wide range of companies will participate, including retailers such as department stores, large supermarkets and convenience stores, as well as businesses in the automotive, home appliance, food service and lodging sectors. They will offer product discounts and special promotions, with a broad selection of deals on everyday essentials, durable goods, agricultural, livestock and fishery products, and goods from small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners.

Poster for the 2nd Korea Grand Festival. Jointly organized by relevant ministries.

First, in the automotive and home appliance sectors, five domestic automakers - Hyundai Motor, Kia, GM Korea, Renault Korea and KG Mobility - will offer discounts on major models starting November 1. Certified pre-owned vehicles from Hyundai Motor and Kia will also participate for the first time. Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics will likewise begin discounting major home appliances on the same day. The models and products eligible for discounts, along with the discount rates, will be announced on November 1.

Large supermarkets and super supermarket (SSM) chains will offer discounts of up to 50% on agricultural, livestock and fishery products, processed foods and everyday goods, or run buy-one-get-one-free promotions. Five department store companies will hold seasonal sales and special promotions for fashion brands, focusing on winter clothing. Five convenience store companies will offer discounts on popular lunch boxes.

Discount promotions on key agricultural, livestock and fishery products will also continue ahead of the kimchi-making season. Until December 2, more than 300 retailers, including supermarkets and local agricultural cooperatives nationwide, will offer discounts of up to 40% on key ingredients for making kimchi. Hanwoo beef will be discounted by up to 50% at retailers nationwide until November 8. Until November 29, major fishery products, including dried seaweed, salted shrimp and solar salt, will be discounted by up to 50% at supermarkets and on public home shopping channels nationwide.

Online platforms are joining in as well. Naver will hold the "K-Sale Festa Big Brand Week," a joint discount event featuring 25 companies selling processed foods and everyday goods. B Mart will run its "November 5-Day Market." Initiatives such as Coupang's "Good Store" and Naver's "K-Sale Festa Win-Win Market" will also support small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners in expanding their sales channels. Online shopping malls 11st, Gmarket and Grip will offer 20% discounts on products from small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners through time deals and live commerce.

Logos of major events participating in the 2nd Korea Grand Festival. Joint Ministries

Benefits have also been introduced to increase spending in local areas. During the festival, the discount rate on local love gift certificates will rise by 5 percentage points from its current level, reaching 13% in the Seoul metropolitan area, 15% in non-metropolitan areas and 17% in population-decline areas. From November 2 to 6, the discount rate on digital Onnuri gift certificates will also increase from 7% to 10%.

A "Win-Win Consumption Lottery" with a total prize pool of KRW 1.7 billion will also be held. Participants will receive one entry for every KRW 30,000 in cumulative payments made with digital Onnuri gift certificates, and 5,600 winners will be selected by lottery. The first-place prize is KRW 30 million. Entries will be doubled for purchases made in non-metropolitan areas. Programs linking local commercial districts with tourism will also take place. The festival's opening ceremony will be held on October 31 in the area around the former Andong Station in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province.

A range of programs will be offered to increase spending by foreign tourists. The four major palaces, Jongmyo Shrine and the Joseon Royal Tombs, all designated as national heritage sites, will be open free of charge, alongside cultural programs such as free performances at the National Theater. At 25 duty-free stores nationwide, including Lotte, Shilla and Shinsegae, customers will be able to get discounts of up to 25% on items such as alcohol and cosmetics.

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