The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will raise the festival as a global festival of "Boryeong mud, Andong mask dance, Jinju oil, etc."

*This content was translated by AI.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Choi Hwi-young, hereinafter referred to as the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) and the Korea Tourism Organization (President Park Sung-hyuk, hereinafter referred to as the Korea Tourism Organization) selected three "global festivals," including the Boryeong Mud Festival, the Andong International Mask Dance Festival, and the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival, and four "preliminary global festivals." Twenty-seven out of 45 cultural tourism festivals participated in the contest in 2026, and the final list was confirmed through expert evaluation.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism provides up to three years of support, 800 million won per year for global festivals, and 250 million won per year for preliminary global festivals.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism supports the establishment of tourism strategies for visiting Korea and fostering experiential content so that foreign tourists can be attracted more than twice during the support period. In particular, the government will improve its foreign acceptance posture by introducing a web-based program called "Conglomerant," which helps analyze the congestion of festival venues and facilitate payment. It will also establish a global network and promote linkage to improve international awareness.

The development of tourism products utilizing the characteristics of each festival will also begin in earnest. Andong will strengthen traditional cultural products linking the Mask Dance Festival and Hahoe Village, while Boryeong will strengthen "K-beauty" contents using mud. The Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival promotes stay-type night tourism products in cooperation with nearby local governments.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism supports cooperation with major online travel agencies such as Klook and KKday so that foreign tourists can conveniently purchase products.

Incheon Pentaport Music Festival, Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival, and Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, which were previously selected as global festivals in 2024, attracted a total of 130,000 foreign tourists last year. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to continue its results by conducting customized local experience marketing for each core market, breaking away from the existing simple promotion method.

Choi Hwi-young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "This year is the best time for Korea's tourism leap," adding, "We will work hard to develop various products and improve the convenience of foreign tourists so that interest in K-culture can be linked to the festival site."

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*This content was translated by AI.