Mokpo Port Festival
목포항구축제 · Mokpo, Jeonnam
– Past
This edition has finished.
Korean festivals usually keep to roughly the same window each year, so the next
one should land near those dates — but the organizer publishes the confirmed
dates and they move, sometimes by weeks.
Last verified: 2026-10-19.
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A festival marking Mokpo's history as one of Korea's original 1897 treaty ports, once among the country's largest trading harbors.
Who it suits: Anyone doing the south-west coast who wants a harbor-city festival rather than another temple or island stop.
What to expect
A harbor festival built on a harbor’s history. Mokpo was one of Korea’s open treaty ports from 1897. The festival, held at Mokpo Port and around the island of Samhakdo, tells that story through food and staged scenes. What to look for. The opening on 16 October at 18:00 on the Pasi stage was a performance called ‘Pasi Man-seon-ida!’, with folk music, the arrival of a fishing boat and a skate (hongeo) master’s filleting demonstration. Other listed attractions are a staged fish-market auction (pasi), a fisherman’s table of skate, croaker and rockfish dishes, a retro wharf street and a stamp tour of the sights. Hours are not settled across sources. The ministry lists 12:00 to 21:00 and another guide 13:00 to 22:00, so arrive in the afternoon and check the festival site for the day’s schedule. Contact. The Mokpo festival committee is listed at 061-270-8441.When, where, how much
From the organizer
Organized by Mokpo city festival committee. 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.
Where it is
Where it is in the country — 314 km south of Seoul
About 169 km across — 6 other places we cover sit inside it. The pick of them is listed below.
314 km south of Seoul, in Mokpo, Jeonnam (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 — Mokpo Port and Samhakdo, Mokpo 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 Mokpo 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.
Getting there and staying
For a bed near the festival, Klook's accommodation search for Mokpo 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 Mokpo Port 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.
- Geumsan World Insam Festival — 2026/10/02 – 10/11, Geumsan, South Chungcheong, 170 km from Seoul.
- Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival — 2026/10/03 – 10/18, Jinju, South Gyeongsang, 282 km from Seoul.
- Suwon Hwaseong Festival — 2026/10/04 – 10/11, Suwon, Gyeonggi, 32 km from Seoul.
- Gangneung Coffee Festival — 2026/10/21 – 10/25, Gangneung, Gangwon, 175 km from Seoul.
- Chuncheon Makguksu & Dakgalbi Festival — 2026/10/14 – 10/18, Chuncheon, Gangwon, 74 km from Seoul.
Other festivals in Jeonnam
Same province, different times of year — useful if you are choosing when to visit Jeonnam rather than when to leave home.
- Gwangyang Maehwa Festival — March, Gwangyang, Jeonnam-Gwangju
- Gurye Sansuyu Festival — March, Gurye, Jeonnam-Gwangju
- Hampyeong Butterfly Festival — April, Hampyeong, Jeonnam-Gwangju
- Boseong Green Tea Festival — May, Boseong, Jeonnam-Gwangju
- Damyang Bamboo Festival — May, Damyang, Jeonnam-Gwangju
Other museums within reach
- Naju National Museum — Naju, Jeonnam-Gwangju, about 28 km away.
The coast from here
- The Seohaerang Trail — Ttangkkeut, Haenam, Jeonnam-Gwangju, about 57 km away. The trail itself runs the length of the west coast, so it likely passes closer than this.
- Getting In the Mud — Hajeon Village, Gochang, North Jeolla, about 73 km away.
Quick answers
When is the Mokpo Port Festival?
Is it free?
What is the Pasi stage?
Where this comes from: MTN, 2026 festival report; Ministry of Culture festival information. Programmes and prices change; the organizer's own announcement decides.