Jinju's October Festivals Draw 1.6 Million Visitors, 13,000 Foreign Tourists

Review of Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival and two other major festivals held at meeting on Oct. 27
Foreign visitor target of 10,000 surpassed in first year as a designated global festival
Preparations for 2027 festivals to address crowding, traffic congestion and visitor convenience

A total of 1.6 million visitors attended the three major festivals held in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, this October. The number of foreign tourists exceeded 13,000, surpassing the initial target of 10,000.

Jinju City held the "2026 Jinju October Festival Evaluation Meeting" on October 27 in the Culture Lecture Room at Jinju City Hall. Around 30 people attended, including Jinju Mayor Jo Gyu-il, representatives of the festival organizers and officials from related institutions.

[Photo courtesy of Jinju City] Jinju Mayor Jo Gyu-il attended the “2026 Jinju City October Festival Evaluation Meeting” at the Culture Lecture Room of Jinju City Hall on the 27th, where he discussed this year’s festival outcomes and ways to improve with representatives of the festival organizers and related organizations.

The meeting was organized to review the results of the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival, the 75th Gaecheon Arts Festival and the 2026 Korea Drama Festival, which ran from October 3 to 18, and to discuss ways to improve the festivals in 2027.

According to the city, a total of 1.6 million people visited the October festivals over 16 days. Visitor numbers were similar to last year, even though there were two fewer holidays during the festival period.

More than 13,000 foreign tourists visited, following efforts to promote the festivals overseas, develop tourism products and provide multilingual information, particularly for the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival, which marked its first year as a global festival designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival featured lantern displays along the Namgang River and around Jinju Castle, a drone light show, fireworks over the river and artificial intelligence (AI)-based experiential events.

The 75th Gaecheon Arts Festival featured nationwide arts competitions and a parade, while the Korea Drama Festival presented Hallyu-related programs, including a drama awards ceremony and performances.

The evaluation meeting also focused on areas needing improvement, including safety management, traffic congestion and the operation of visitor facilities in response to the increase in visitors.

In terms of safety, participants reviewed the on-site response system, which uses an integrated situation room, CCTV and public-address announcements. In particular, some sections became crowded during the fireworks and drone light show. Participants said measures were needed to disperse crowds, secure pedestrian routes, and strengthen access control at the floating bridge and performance venues.

On transportation, participants reviewed problems caused by congestion in the city center and concentrated parking demand during the festivals, and discussed ways to improve shuttle bus operations and information about temporary parking lots.

For visitor convenience, participants reviewed the operation of restrooms, rest areas, wheelchair rentals and information signs. They also considered consolidating gift redemption counters for participation programs such as stamp tours and purchase-verification events.

Proposed improvements to performance operations included introducing a reservation system for seating at the waterside stage, adjusting performance schedules at each venue and resolving sound interference between neighboring performance venues.

Participants also discussed ways to improve multilingual information systems and expand visitor facilities for foreign tourists, as well as improve access to tourist destinations.

Based on the evaluation results, Jinju City plans to improve its systems for festival safety, transportation and visitor facilities in 2027, and expand linked programs that highlight the distinct characteristics of each festival.

The city also plans to step up overseas promotion and tourism product development to attract more foreign visitors, and enhance experiential content and multilingual information services.

"This October, 1.6 million visitors, including more than 13,000 foreign tourists, came to our festivals," Jinju Mayor Jo Gyu-il said. "We will analyze and address the shortcomings identified during the festivals and create a safer and more convenient festival environment next year."

Meanwhile, Jinju City plans to work with the festival organizers and related institutions to draw up detailed action plans for improvements in each area.

A key challenge for future festivals will be to assess their actual impact on the local economy alongside the achievement of attracting 1.6 million visitors, and to reduce recurring inconveniences such as crowding and traffic congestion.

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