Press Release Source Geumsan County Dept. of Culture & Tourism Contact Tel: 041-750-2393 Fax: 041-750-2379 A Well-being Festival Celebrating the Environment, Body, Mind and Spirit September 22-October 1 The oldest festival dedicated to ginseng in Korea goes back to the Japanese occupation period, in the early 20th century. A ceremony held in October in a shrine in Gaeseong, then the country’s largest producer of ginseng, officiated by a senior industry representative, was followed by a night parade, with firecrackers and fireworks. In Geumsan, although not a publicized popular event like the one in Gaeseong, there had been an old local ritual, known as “Samjangje”, that was seasonally held by the growers to thank the mountain spirits for a good harvest of ginseng and pray for an abundant crop. This festival, inspired by Samjangje, intends to revive and uphold this tradition as a local cultural event with a contemporary resonance. The goal is of course also to celebrate the health benefits and healing efficacy of ginseng, an important local crop, to stimulate demand and increase the farming revenue for the county. Under a county ordinance, establishing the event as an official festival for Geumsan, the festival was first hosted between October 1 and October 2, 1981, thanks to the collaboration between the local ginseng industry promotion committee, growers and other related organizations. The Geumsan Ginseng Festival, held for the 26th time this year, has become today one of Korea’s most representative festivals, combining the characteristics of an industry fair, cultural festival and a tourist event. http://www.insamfestival.co.kr