The 32nd Geumsan Ginseng Festival came to a grand finale with fireworks and lantern-flying on 23 September 2012. Ginseng (called Insam in Korean) is a time-tested herbal medicine with history of over 1,500 years. It has drawn the attention of the world as a miracle drug. In particular, ginseng from Geumsan is known for its quality and efficacy. The Geumsan Ginseng Festival is one of the most significant festivals in Geumsan where the world’s biggest ginseng and herbal medicine market and the largest trading center of Geumsan ginseng are located. As ginseng from this region had attracted tourists from home and abroad, a small local festival of ginseng was upgraded into a representative festival of Geumsan in 1981. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has also recognized the significance of this festival and selected it as a major local festival of Korea subject to strategic promotion since the 16th festival. After holding the first International Ginseng Trade Fair in 1999, Geumsan grew into a hub of international ginseng trade.

This year’s festival composed of hands-on experience programs and contests catering to the tastes of various people was considered a success in terms of both ‘health’ and ‘entertainment.’ Especially, it laid the foundation to transform itself from a festival only for the middle-aged and beyond to a family-oriented festival.

Promotional booths reproducing the atmosphere of the 60’s and 70’s, such as ‘6070 Market,’ ‘Rice Puffs Maker,’ ‘Hair Salon,’ ‘Korean Taffy Seller,’ ‘Dalgona (Sugar snack)’ evoked nostalgic feelings among the middle-aged people while offering interesting educational moments for children.

Cultural programs for families and hands-on experience programs on organic cosmetics, hand and foot massage and organic facial pack also received good response from people, in particular from women. A medical checkup center where people could check their health conditions for themselves and a ginseng liquor stand offering free ginseng cocktails were thronged with visitors.

There was also a ginseng field tour where participants could learn how to harvest and distinguish quality ginseng, and actually dig up ginseng roots firsthand and taste foods made with ginseng. This tour program was particularly popular because it offered people a great opportunity not just to experience the joy of harvesting ginseng but also to buy the ginseng they harvested at a discounted price. 

In the closing ceremony, people flied paper lanterns of hope and wishes to the sky, making a grand finale of the 10-day festival along with fireworks. Despite the bad stormy weather, about 750,600 tourists visited Geumsan for the festival. This year’s Geumsan Ginseng Festival reaffirmed its status as Korea’s best cultural and tourist festival associated with local industry by generating 93.6 billion won worth of economic values for the local economy.