Korea's tourism agency is turning three of its snack-food festivals into packaged trips, and it is selling them to Taiwan first. For fans who already plan Korea trips around concerts, this is a look at how food events in the southeast are being bundled for overseas visitors.
What is KTO's Taiwan street food festival plan?
On October 21, 2026, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) announced that it is working with Daegu's Buk District and the North Gyeongsang cities of Gimcheon and Gumi. Together they plan to sell three regional street food festivals as international travel products, with Taiwan as the first target market . The festivals are the Daegu Tteokbokki Festival, the Gimcheon Kimbap Festival and the Gumi Ramyeon Festival. According to Seoul Economic Daily, they make up one themed lineup rather than three separate events.
Quick Answer: KTO is packaging the Daegu Tteokbokki, Gimcheon Kimbap and Gumi Ramyeon festivals as tours for Taiwanese travelers who fly into Daegu or Gimhae airports. As of October 2026, 145 Taiwanese visitors have signed up to tour the Daegu and Gimcheon festivals on October 23–24. Gumi follows in November.
The figure that stands out is the early sign-up count. According to The Korea Times, 145 Taiwanese visitors will tour the Daegu Tteokbokki Festival and the Gimcheon Kimbap Festival on October 23 and 24, 2026 . The tours are sold through travel agencies. KTO's Taipei office started working with Taiwanese agencies in September 2026 to build itinerary packages around the festivals . KTO has not published what the packages include, how much they cost or which hotels they use. Anyone booking from Taiwan should get those details directly from the agency.
The plan is built around airports outside Seoul. It targets travelers arriving at Daegu International Airport and Gimhae International Airport in Busan, both of which give direct access to Korea's southeast . Coverage of the announcement says KTO described Taiwan as the largest source of foreign travelers arriving through these two airports. It also called Taiwan a market with a strong affinity for Korean food culture .
"This initiative holds great significance as it enhances regional accessibility through local airports and commercializes local tourism assets around a unified theme of street food festivals," — Min Byung-sun, head of the tourism industry division at the Korea Tourism Organization (source: The Korea Times)
Packaged tours are only one part of the plan. KTO is also inviting digital content creators and social media influencers to cover the Daegu and Gimcheon festivals, as well as the Gumi Ramyeon Festival scheduled for November . Korean-language outlets such as Segye Ilbo call the bundle a "K-bunsik" festival lineup. Bunsik is the Korean term for casual snack foods such as tteokbokki, gimbap and ramyeon. The tour counts, dates and partners are confirmed. KTO has not released any results or visitor-growth figures for the program yet.
Why Taiwan, and why regional airports?
KTO gives two reasons for starting with Taiwan. Taiwan is the largest source of foreign travelers who land at Daegu International Airport and Gimhae International Airport in Busan, and Taiwanese travelers already take a strong interest in Korean food culture . Both airports offer direct access to Korea's southeast, where Daegu, Gimcheon and Gumi are located (source: The Korea Times, 2026-10). The plan relies on travelers landing in the region rather than coming down from Seoul.
This affects the trip itself. A visitor who lands in Daegu is already in the host city of the tteokbokki festival. Gimcheon and Gumi lie further along the Gyeongbu rail corridor. The festivals are not side trips from a Seoul-based itinerary. They are the main reason to go. Seoul Economic Daily also cites Taiwanese demand through these airports as the starting point of the program .
"This initiative holds great significance as it enhances regional accessibility through local airports and commercializes local tourism assets around a unified theme of street food festivals," — Min Byung-sun, head of the tourism industry division at the Korea Tourism Organization (source: The Korea Times)
The key phrase is "unified theme." Each festival is run by its own local government: Daegu's Buk District, and the cities of Gimcheon and Gumi. KTO is selling the three as one street-food product . The Asia Business Daily quotes Min saying KTO will "develop distinctive local tourism resources into global tourism content, helping to increase visits to the regions and generate inbound tourism demand."
Promotion is a second part of the plan. KTO's invitation to digital content creators and social media influencers covers three events:
- Daegu Tteokbokki Festival, October 23–25, 2026
- Gimcheon Kimbap Festival, October 23–25, 2026
- Gumi Ramyeon Festival, November 6–8, 2026
Coverage of the plan places the creator invitations alongside the travel-agency packages . The dates come from Segye Ilbo . Segye Ilbo also calls the bundle "K-bunsik," which sets snack food up as a category in the way K-pop and K-beauty already are.
All of this is still a set of announced plans. KTO has confirmed the partners, the airports, the 145-visitor first group and the festival dates. It has not published package prices, hotels, results or growth targets. Any claim that the program has increased regional visits would be premature.
What's on at the Daegu Tteokbokki Festival (Oct 23-25)?
The Daegu Tteokbokki Festival is a three-day street food event dedicated to tteokbokki, Korea's chewy rice cakes simmered in a sweet and spicy red sauce. This year is the 6th edition, running October 23–25, 2026 at Daegu iM Bank PARK in Buk District . According to Segye Ilbo (2026-10), organizers selected 37 tteokbokki vendors out of 85 applicants . It is one of the two festivals the first Taiwanese group visits on October 23 and 24.
Most of the festival is about eating, but the program also includes hands-on and family activities. Segye Ilbo lists the following :
- Ppogi Surakgan: a session where visitors make tteokbokki in a royal-court style. "Ppogi" is a casual Korean nickname for tteokbokki.
- Tteokbokki World Tour: tteokbokki served with toppings inspired by different countries.
- Quizzes: audience programs held during the festival.
- Ppogi Land: a play area for children.
With 37 vendors at one venue, you can compare styles side by side, from classic gochujang sauce to other variations. One way to eat it the way locals do at markets is to order gimmari, which are fried seaweed rolls filled with glass noodles, and dip them in the tteokbokki sauce (video: Doobydobap).
Buk District's plans for foreign visitors are part of why this festival is in KTO's package. The Asia Business Daily (2026-10) reports that the district received 184 million won in national funding . According to Seoul Economic Daily (2026-10), the district plans to expand its "Global Lounge" for foreign visitors and its K-food experience spaces . The reports do not say what languages the lounge will offer or how big these spaces will be.
Daegu iM Bank PARK | Festival venue
Daegu iM Bank PARK is the venue in Buk District where this year's festival takes place. For a trip planner, the most useful details are about getting there. Organizers have about 1,000 parking spaces around the venue, and free shuttle buses run every 15 minutes . With that many spaces and frequent shuttles, a group can arrive without a long walk from distant parking. The sources reviewed do not give shuttle departure points, so check them locally before you go.
📋 Daegu iM Bank PARK, Buk District, Daegu · Oct 23–25, 2026 · 37 tteokbokki vendors, Ppogi Surakgan, Tteokbokki World Tour, Ppogi Land
💡 Order gimmari with your tteokbokki and dip them in the sauce. If you have children with you, plan around Ppogi Land. Use the free 15-minute shuttle instead of looking for parking near the venue.
📍 South Korea, Daegu, Buk-gu, Goseong-ro, 191 iM뱅크PARK
🕒 Daily Open 24 hours
⭐ 4.7 (713 reviews)
📞 053-222-3600
🔗 View on Google Maps
What's on at the Gimcheon Kimbap Festival (Oct 23-25)?
The Gimcheon Kimbap Festival runs October 23–25, 2026, at Jikji Culture Park, Samyeongdaesa Park and the nearby Ecological Park in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province . Gimcheon City organizes it, and admission is free . It is the second stop for the 145 Taiwanese visitors on the KTO itinerary, after Daegu.
Gimbap is rice and fillings rolled in dried seaweed and sliced into bite-sized rounds. It is one of the most common snacks at Korean bunsik shops. Segye Ilbo reports that about 60 kinds of gimbap are expected at this year's festival . According to the Visit Korea festival listing, the program includes these zones :
- Gimbap Factory: a zone built around making gimbap
- Local Gimbap Favorites: gimbap from local vendors and restaurants
- Gimbap Cooking Competition Zone: a space for cooking contests
- Activity booths: hands-on experience stalls
- Inflatable playground: an area for children
- Gimbap Arcade: a game area with a gimbap theme
The festival grounds are in Daehang-myeon, near Jikjisa Temple and away from central Gimcheon. Getting there takes some planning. Segye Ilbo reports that about 60 shuttle buses will connect the site with the Gimcheon Sports Town parking area, Gimcheon(Gumi) KTX station and Gimcheon Station . Both stations are on the Gyeongbu line, the same rail corridor as Daegu. Neither the listing nor the press coverage gives daily opening hours or prices at individual stalls, so check the official site before you go.
Jikji Culture Park | Festival
Jikji Culture Park is the main venue for the Gimcheon Kimbap Festival. The park sits next to Samyeongdaesa Park and an ecological park, and all three hold festival zones this year . Plan to eat a lot. With around 60 gimbap varieties on offer, sharing rolls in a small group lets you try more of them. The official festival site is gimbapcity.kr, and the listed contact number is +82-54-420-6714 .
📋 118 Jikjisa-gil, Daehang-myeon, Gimcheon-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do · Oct 23–25, 2026 (daily hours not published) · Free admission; about 60 gimbap varieties, Gimbap Factory, Cooking Competition Zone, Gimbap Arcade
💡 If you are coming by rail, get off at Gimcheon(Gumi) KTX station or Gimcheon Station and take the festival shuttle. If you drive, park at Gimcheon Sports Town and ride the shuttle from there instead of driving to the park. Share rolls so you can try more of the local versions.
📍 44 Unsu-ri, Daehang-myeon, Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do
🕒 Daily Open 24 hours
⭐ 4.5 (1,706 reviews)
📞 054-421-1631
🔗 View on Google Maps
When is the Gumi Ramyeon Festival, and why does Gumi matter for ramyeon?
The Gumi Ramyeon Festival runs November 6–8, 2026, around Gumi Station in North Gyeongsang Province . Gumi gets a ramyeon festival because of the factories there. According to Segye Ilbo (2026-10), the city produces about 80% of Korea's domestic Shin Ramyun and 90% of its Jjapagetti, roughly 6 million packs a day . Those two brands are the ones most K-drama viewers have seen on screen.
The Gumi festival is not part of the October 23–24 tour for the 145 Taiwanese visitors. It is the third festival in KTO's street food lineup, and KTO is inviting digital content creators and social media influencers to cover the November edition along with the Daegu and Gimcheon festivals (source: The Korea Times, 2026-10; Seoul Economic Daily, 2026-10) . Expect more short-form video from Gumi in early November than from a usual regional food event.
Gumi Ramyeon Festival (around Gumi Station) | Festival street
Gimcheon's festival has a fixed program of zones. Gumi's is built around the town's own restaurants: local restaurants serve their own ramyeon dishes rather than the plain instant packs, and Kakao Mobility runs shuttles on several routes to bring visitors to the festival area . The festival takes place in the station district, so you can get there by train. The sources we checked did not confirm a vendor lineup, menu prices, daily opening hours or the exact shuttle routes. Check the city's announcements closer to the dates before you plan around a specific restaurant.
- Dates: November 6–8, 2026
- Location: around Gumi Station, Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province
- Transport: Kakao Mobility shuttles on several routes
- Not yet confirmed: vendor list, prices, hours
📋 Around Gumi Station, Gumi-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do · November 6–8, 2026 (daily hours not published) · Local restaurants' own ramyeon dishes
💡 Take the train to Gumi Station and walk to the festival area, and use the Kakao Mobility shuttles if you are coming from farther parts of the city. Bowls will come from different restaurants, so share them if you want to try more than one style.
📍 76 Gumijungang-ro, Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do
🕒 Daily Open 24 hours
⭐ 3.7 (84 reviews)
🔗 View on Google Maps
How do the three festivals compare, and how would you plan the trip?
The three festivals make two trips. The Daegu Tteokbokki Festival and the Gimcheon Kimbap Festival both run October 23–25, 2026 . Daegu and Gimcheon are both on the Gyeongbu rail corridor, so you can see both in one trip. The Gumi Ramyeon Festival is two weeks later, November 6–8, and needs its own visit . The table below sets out what each organizer has confirmed so far.
| Festival | Dates | Location | Admission | Signature programs | Transport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daegu Tteokbokki Festival (6th) | Oct 23–25, 2026 | Daegu iM Bank PARK, Buk District, Daegu | Not stated in coverage | Ppogi Surakgan, Tteokbokki World Tour, Ppogi Land, 37 vendors | About 1,000 parking spaces; free shuttles every 15 minutes |
| Gimcheon Kimbap Festival | Oct 23–25, 2026 | Jikji Culture Park area, 118 Jikjisa-gil, Daehang-myeon, Gimcheon | Free | Gimbap Factory, Gimbap Cooking Competition Zone, Gimbap Arcade, about 60 kinds of gimbap | About 60 shuttle buses to Gimcheon Sports Town parking, Gimcheon(Gumi) KTX station and Gimcheon Station |
| Gumi Ramyeon Festival | Nov 6–8, 2026 | Around Gumi Station, Gumi | Not stated in coverage | Local restaurants serving their own ramyeon dishes | Kakao Mobility shuttles on several routes |
The October pair matches the schedule KTO built for its first Taiwanese group. According to The Korea Times, 145 visitors from Taiwan will tour the Daegu and Gimcheon festivals on October 23 and 24 . If you are travelling on your own, one way to copy that plan is to spend a day in Daegu, then take the train north to Gimcheon the next day. KTO has not published what the Taiwanese packages include, what they cost or which hotels they use, so check with Taiwanese travel agencies directly.
Neither organizer has published per-dish prices. Street food prices elsewhere give a rough idea. In a Seoul street food video, about US$5 of assorted double-fried snacks fed roughly three people (video: Doobydobap) . For Taiwanese visitors used to their own night markets, a kimchi-cheese scallion roll at Taipei's Ningxia Night Market cost about US$3.70 in a Taiwan street food marathon video . These numbers are only a rough guide. Festival prices are set by each vendor.
- Pace yourself across vendors. Daegu has 37 tteokbokki stalls and Gimcheon expects about 60 kinds of gimbap. Order small portions and share them so you can try more than a few.
- Use the shuttles, not a car. Both October festivals run free or organized shuttles from parking areas and rail stations. Gumi has Kakao Mobility routes.
- Dip gimmari in tteokbokki sauce. Korean markets commonly serve seaweed-wrapped glass noodle rolls this way (video: Doobydobap).
- Check official pages before you leave. Gimcheon posts updates at gimbapcity.kr and takes calls on +82-54-420-6714 . Programs and shuttle times can change at short notice.
In short, go to Daegu and Gimcheon together on October 23–25 by train, and plan Gumi as a separate trip on November 6–8. Shuttles are the easiest way to get around at all three. Before you go, check the festival's official page for the latest schedule.
Frequently asked questions
When are the Daegu Tteokbokki and Gimcheon Kimbap festivals in 2026?
Both festivals run from October 23 to 25, 2026. The 6th Daegu Tteokbokki Festival is held at Daegu iM Bank PARK in Buk District, Daegu . The Gimcheon Kimbap Festival is held at Jikji Culture Park, Samyeongdaesa Park and the nearby Ecological Park, at 118 Jikjisa-gil, Daehang-myeon, Gimcheon-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, according to the VisitKorea festival listing . Both cities are on the Gyeongbu rail line, so you can visit both in one trip.
When is the Gumi Ramyeon Festival 2026?
The Gumi Ramyeon Festival runs from November 6 to 8, 2026, around Gumi Station in North Gyeongsang Province . Local restaurants will serve their own ramyeon dishes, and Kakao Mobility will run shuttles on several routes, Segye Ilbo reports . It takes place about two weeks after the Daegu and Gimcheon festivals, so plan it as a separate trip.
Is the Gimcheon Kimbap Festival free?
Yes, admission to the Gimcheon Kimbap Festival is free. Gimcheon City organizes it . The sources don't give prices for the food or the activity booths, so bring cash or a card for what you eat. For current details, the organizers post updates at gimbapcity.kr and answer calls on +82-54-420-6714 .
Can travelers outside Taiwan join these festivals?
Yes. KTO's itinerary packages target Taiwanese travelers first, but the festivals themselves are open to the public . Visitors from anywhere can get there by train on the Gyeongbu line. In Daegu, organizers have about 1,000 parking spaces and free shuttles every 15 minutes. In Gimcheon, about 60 shuttle buses link the festival with Gimcheon(Gumi) KTX station, Gimcheon Station and the Gimcheon Sports Town parking lot .
What are the KTO Taiwan packages and how much do they cost?
KTO has not published what the packages include, what they cost or which hotels they use. What is confirmed: KTO's Taipei office started working with Taiwanese travel agencies in September 2026 to launch the itineraries, and 145 Taiwanese visitors signed up to tour the Daegu Tteokbokki and Gimcheon Kimbap festivals on October 23 and 24 . Travelers in Taiwan should ask local travel agencies for current details. Coverage from The Korea Times and Seoul Economic Daily describes the plan but does not list package terms.
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This article was written using information collected and analyzed by NAMANE's in-house K-pop research AI engine. We use AI technology to bring you faster, broader coverage, and in the process some details may occasionally differ from the latest facts. For important information such as dates, venues, and prices, please double-check with official sources.
