Chungcheongnam-do Governor Park Soo-hyun attended the opening ceremony of the "10th Yesan Marketplace Samguk Festival," held around the Yesan Traditional Market area on the 22nd, to congratulate its opening and express his wish that Yesan's food and culture will drive the joint growth of local tourism and the economy.

Marking its 10th anniversary this year, the Yesan Marketplace Samguk Festival runs for four days from the 22nd to the 25th.

Under the themes of Yesan's representative local foods—gukbap (soup with rice) and guksu (noodles)—and the autumn atmosphere of chrysanthemums, the festival presents various performances, contests, culinary offerings, and hands-on experience and sales programs to showcase the taste and charm of Yesan.

This year's festival features programs where visitors can directly participate, such as the "Samguk Bucket List," the "Bazaar Wind-and-Stream Era" capturing the stories of the marketplace and Samguk, and the "Sam-cook Festa" utilizing noodles and local agricultural products, offering visitors a vivid experience of Yesan’s food and marketplace culture.

It also provides a rich array of sights and entertainment for visitors through local agricultural product (local food) sales participated in by local farming households, chrysanthemum exhibitions, and diverse performances.

At the event, Governor Park stated, "The success of the festival is a shortcut to making Yesan 'a place to stay one more day,'" adding, "The sight of healing one's mind in a brilliant chrysanthemum field during the day, followed by a bustling marketplace glowing like day at night, can stimulate the growth engine of Yesan."

Governor Park continued, "If we connect Yedangho Lake and Deoksan Hot Springs into a single course, tourists visiting the Samguk Festival will naturally be able to explore every corner of Yesan," and added, "I hope that the miracle of coexistence created by the Yesan Market and the Samguk Festival will spread throughout the entire province."

Meanwhile, the provincial government plans to expand stay-type tourism infrastructure linked with local tourism resources and strengthen cooperation with cities and counties so that regional festivals can lead to an influx of tourists and revitalize the local economy.

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