Jinan Red Ginseng Festival
진안홍삼축제 · Jinan, North Jeolla
– Confirmed dates
Festival dates move every year — confirm on the organizer's own site before booking.
Last verified: 2026-08-22.
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A red ginseng festival in one of the main growing regions.
Who it suits: Anyone planning to buy ginseng. Read our customs guide first — what you can carry home depends on whether it is fresh or processed.
When, where, how much
From the organizer
Organized by Jinan-gun. These pages are the organizer's own and open on their site. They are usually Korean only — but that is where the confirmed programme, stage times and site map appear first, and times and prices read the same in any language.
Program: Circulation improvement fishing experience, immunity boosting plogging experience, focus enhancement treasure hunt, fatigue-reducing healing program
Photos: Korea Tourism Organization · visitkorea.or.kr · KOGL Type 3
Where it is
Where it is in the country — 203 km south of Seoul
About 132 km across — 10 other places we cover sit inside it. The pick of them is listed below.
203 km south of Seoul, in Jinan, North Jeolla (straight-line distance from Seoul City Hall, calculated from the venue's official coordinates).
We have not timed these connections ourselves, so rather than print a number we have not checked, here is the route on the two apps Koreans actually use — Northern region of Maisan Mountain as the destination, already filled in:
- Directions on Kakao Map — live bus and train times, and which platform
- Naver Map — the stronger of the two in English
From Seoul, journeys to Jinan start at Seoul Station (KTX and regular rail) or the Express Bus Terminal. Which of the two wins depends on how many cities you are stringing together — our rail pass guide works through the break-even, and getting around Korea covers why these two apps beat Google Maps once you are on the ground.
Nearby, if you are making a trip of it
Within about 20 km of the venue, by distance:
- Maisan Hwaeomgul Cave (1.5 km)
- Maisan Mountain Tafoni Terrain (1.5 km)
- Tapsa Temple (1.7 km)
- Jinan Baegundonggyegok Valley (10.2 km)
- Haneullae Deulkkot Village (11.4 km)
- Jinan Hakdong Village (13.0 km)
Places and distances from the Korea Tourism Organization's location data. We have not visited all of them.
What it is actually about
We have written about red ginseng versus fresh root, and why the distinction decides what travels — read that first if you want to know what you are looking at before you go, rather than after.
Getting there and staying
For a bed near the festival, Klook's accommodation search for Jinan is the quickest way to see what is left — festival weeks fill local rooms earlier than you would expect.
Outside the big cities, wifi is not something to plan around. Shuttle stops, stage times and the day's program are posted on the organizer's Korean-language page or a Naver Map pin, and they change on the day. A Korean eSIM is the cheapest way to have it working before you land.
Planning a trip around it
On at the same time
If your dates are fixed, these run within ten days of Jinan Red Ginseng Festival and are worth checking before you commit to a route.
- Moonlight Tour at Changdeokgung Palace — 2026/09/10 – 10/17, Seoul, 2 km from Seoul.
- Muju Firefly Festival — 2026/09/04 – 09/12, Muju, North Jeolla, 184 km from Seoul.
- Andong Maskdance Festival — 2026/09/24 – 10/04, Andong, North Gyeongsang, 192 km from Seoul.
- Hyoseok Cultural Festival — 2026/09/04 – 09/13, Bongpyeong, Pyeongchang, Gangwon, 123 km from Seoul.
- Jangsu Red Food Festival — 2026/09/10 – 09/13, Jangsu, Jeonbuk, 220 km from Seoul.
- Bucheon International Comics Festival — 2026/09/18 – 09/20, Bucheon, Gyeonggi, 22 km from Seoul.
Other festivals in North Jeolla
Same province, different times of year — useful if you are choosing when to visit North Jeolla rather than when to leave home.
- Chunhyang Festival — May, Namwon, North Jeolla
- Muju Firefly Festival — September, Muju, North Jeolla
- Gimje Horizon Festival — October, Gimje, North Jeolla
- Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival — October, Jeonju, North Jeolla
- Jeonju Bibimbap Festival — October, Jeonju, North Jeolla
Other museums within reach
- Jeonju National Museum — Jeonju, North Jeolla, about 30 km away.
- Iksan National Museum — Iksan, North Jeolla, about 44 km away.
A mountain in the same trip
Korea's national parks charge nothing to enter, and these are close enough to pair with the rest of this trip rather than needing one of their own.
- Jirisan Hiking — about 58 km away.