Seoul's Mapo district to hold Saeujeot Festival Oct 16-18
In short
Mapo-gu said it will hold the 19th Mapo Naru Saeujeot Festival from Oct 16 to 18 at World Cup Park Peace Plaza in Seoul, with salted shrimp sold at 10-15% below market prices. The district has added four sales booths for a total of 12 and schedules family programmes including a kimchi-making event with foreigners and a 19-metre shrimp gimbap session.
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Mapo-gu said on Oct 7 that it will hold the 19th Mapo Naru Saeujeot Festival from Oct 16 to 18 at World Cup Park Peace Plaza in Seoul. Yonhap reported the district frames the event as reviving the historical role of Mapo Naru, where salted shrimp and other goods from across the country were gathered during the Joseon era, and said residents looking to buy saeujeot ahead of the kimchi-making season return each year. The slogan is “Saeujeotjom masboguga! Junbihaesseo Mapoguga!” [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
The district has increased the number of saeujeot sales booths by four from last year to 12, where vendors from Ganggyeong, Gwangcheon, Sinan, Buan and Soraae will offer yukjeot, ojeot and chujeot, according to Yonhap and Kyunghyang Shinmun. Yonhap said the district set prices 10-15% below market levels, a figure also carried in Korea Economic Daily's headline. The district added 14 specialty markets for sister cities including Gochang, Sinan, Yecheon, Namhae, Cheongyang and Ongjin, local agricultural cooperatives, and 12 food stalls that this year include shrimp pasta and shrimp fried rice, Yonhap reported. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
The festival opens with a satto parade on Oct 16 from Mapo-gu Office plaza to World Cup Park Peace Plaza, led by district mayor Yoo Dong-gyun in satto costume. Yonhap reported about 200 people will join the procession, followed by a re-enactment of a yellow-sail boat carrying saeujeot docking, an opening ceremony, a pansori blessing and a madang play about grading top-quality saeujeot. [ 1 , 4 ]
Family programmes run across the three days: a saeujeot kimchi-making event with foreign residents on Oct 16, a 19-metre shrimp gimbap session with cookery researcher Lee Hye-jung on Oct 17, and a “dwae-sae-gim” bossam feast on Oct 18. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported children are recruited on site for the gimbap session and compete in two teams, and that the bossam feast is open to the first 200 people. Shrimp catching, saeujeot making and saeujeot auctions run throughout, Yonhap said, and the closing night ends with fireworks and a laser show. [ 1 , 4 ]
Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that the festival draws more than 500,000 visitors a year, that saeujeot sales during the festival period ran at 1.7 billion won a year as of last year, and that the district expects sales to rise this year. From this year the district is placing festival information and English QR leaflets in guesthouses and other locations to attract foreign tourists, the newspaper said. Mayor Yoo said the district had prepared good saeujeot and a range of food and entertainment, and that it aims to develop the festival for its 20th anniversary next year. [ 1 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The festival is a signature event for Mapo-gu and, according to the district, draws more than 500,000 visitors a year ahead of the kimchi-making season. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported the district expects sales and foreign visitors to rise this year, with English QR leaflets newly placed at guesthouses. Beyond Seoul's kimchi-season shoppers and vendors from several provinces, the announcement has limited relevance outside South Korea.
Key facts
- Mapo-gu said the 19th Mapo Naru Saeujeot Festival will run Oct 16-18 at World Cup Park Peace Plaza in Seoul. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The festival slogan is “Saeujeotjom masboguga! Junbihaesseo Mapoguga!” [ 1 , 4 ]
- Saeujeot sales booths were increased by four from last year to a total of 12. [ 1 , 4 ]
- Prices at the booths are set 10-15% below market levels, according to the district. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- District mayor Yoo Dong-gyun will lead a parade dressed as a satto (local magistrate) from Mapo-gu Office plaza to the festival venue on Oct 16. [ 1 , 4 ]
- Saeujeot from Ganggyeong, Gwangcheon, Sinan, Buan and Soraae will be sold, including yukjeot, ojeot and chujeot. [ 1 , 4 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that the festival draws more than 500,000 visitors a year and that festival-period saeujeot sales ran at 1.7 billion won a year as of last year. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The festival will be held Oct 16-18 at World Cup Park Peace Plaza, announced by Mapo-gu on Oct 7. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- There will be 12 saeujeot sales booths, four more than last year. [ 1 , 4 ]
- Saeujeot prices are 10-15% cheaper than the market. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun will take part in a satto-costume parade and the opening ceremony. [ 1 , 4 ]
- Programmes include a kimchi-making event with foreigners, a shrimp gimbap session and a bossam feast. [ 1 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- How many visitors this year's festival is expected to draw Kyunghyang Shinmun reported only that visitor numbers are expected to rise, without a figure; the 500,000-plus annual attendance is from that outlet alone.
- The 1.7 billion won in festival-period saeujeot sales and the district's expectation of higher sales this year Single-source claim from Kyunghyang Shinmun; Yonhap did not report a sales figure.
- Korea Economic Daily's coverage details The readable article text from Korea Economic Daily dealt with other Mapo stories; only the headline addressed the festival.
- The exact composition of the 1.7 billion won figure, described by Kyunghyang Shinmun as annual sales during the festival period The wording does not specify how many years or events the figure covers.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yonhap publishes the district's announcement of the festival. [ 1 ]
- Korea Economic Daily publishes its report headlining the 10-15% discount. [ 2 ]
- Kukmin Ilbo reports that the festival runs Oct 16-18. [ 3 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun publishes its detailed report, including attendance and sales figures. [ 4 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun publishes a second, shorter item on the same dates and venue. [ 5 ]
- On Oct 16, the satto parade departs Mapo-gu Office plaza for World Cup Park Peace Plaza. [ 1 ]