MAJOR WOLRD FESTIVAL OF KOREA’S SIGNATURE FOOD

(FT. LEE, NJ) AUGUST 29, 2004 – The Korea National Tourism Organization and the Gwangju Kimchi Festival organizers, Gwangju City’s Department of Tourism, Culture, invite you to experience Korea’s signature food.

Gwangju has been a center for collecting and trading abundant agricultural products produced in vast fields and diverse seafood caught from the southwestern coast of Korea. Gwangju has a highly-developed cuisine-culture as it has been long called the “Home of Korean Food” due to its variety of foods with delicious and rich tastes. People instantly recall Gwangju when they hear of “Traditional Kimchi (fermented vegetable dishes)” and it proves that the best quality of Gwangju Kimchi is well-known at home and around the world. Based on its advanced culinary tradition, Gwangju has been hosting the Gwangju Kimchi Festival in October to promote the excellent quality of Korean traditional Kimchi to the world and commercialize Kimchi as a must tourist product.

Main Events:
Kimchi exhibition, Kimchi-making contest (a US Tourist favorite), traditional folk games and performances, Samulnori (Traditional Korean percussion quartet), and the Guinness World Record contest for the largest Kimchi.
Date:
October 19 – 24, 2004

Venue:
Gwangju Municipal Folk Museum and Gwangju Biennale sites.

From Seoul, Gwangju is approximately 2 hours and 38 minutes by express train.

Nearby sites of interest include:
Mt. Mudeungsan, May 18 National Cemetery, Commercial district around Gwangjuho Lake, Soswaewon Garden, Unjusa Temple in Hwasun.

For further information, please contact the Korea National Tourism Organization at telephone: (800) 868-7567, fax: (201) 585-9041 or E-mail: gregory_m_kelly@kntoamerica.com
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