If you are planning your trip to Gangwon-do this September, one festival that you shouldn’t miss is the PyeongChang HyoSeok Cultural Festival as this festival is a great way to fully enjoy the autumn scenery of the city.

Happening from the 2^nd – 10^th September 2017 at BongPyeong, PyeongChang, the HyoSeok Cultural Festival is held to commemorate a famous Korean novelist Lee Hyo Seok and his popular short story ‘When Buckwheat Flowers Bloom’. The story describes the connection between human life and the beauty of nature through the dazzling scenery of BongPyeong, a location that is still currently famous for its buckwheat production as well as it is known to be Lee HyoSeok’s hometown.

(Image source: HyoSeok1999 FB Page)

Lee HyoSeok (1907-1942), born in PyeongChang, wrote under the pen-name ‘Gasan’. He wrote more than 70 pieces of fiction and the first story ‘City and Ghost’ that attracted the literary world was in 1928, where the story is published in Joseon Jigwang, a monthly magazine that features academic essay and literary work.

(Image source: HyoSeok1999 FB Page)

We heard that the site of the HyoSeok Cultural Festival is “like a scene straight out of the pages of a novel” as the buckwheat flowers seem to shimmer brilliantly during this time of the year. There are several things you can do at the festival such as, poem exhibition, literature night, essay content, nature experiences, buckwheat food cooking, and more. Of course, when you are there, do take the time to tour HyoSeok’s birthplace and memorial hall.

HyoSeok Cultural Festival 2017

Date: 2-10 September 2017

Location: 157, Ihyoeok-gil, PyeongChang-gun, Gangwon-do

Admission: Free

How to get there?

Take an intercity bus to Jangpyeong Intercity Bus Terminal. From Jangpyeong Terminal, take a local bus bound for Bongpyeong or Phoenix Park shuttle bus. 


For more info, visit http://www.hyoseok.com/ (Korean) or VisitKorea website (English)