The 6th Jeodo Giant Octopus Festival runs June 12-14 at Daejin Port, featuring all-local vendor booths and a receipt cashback event for visitors who spend in the area.
"Plump and chewy giant octopus — a feast for the senses at Goseong's Daejin Port!"
Goseong-gun, a peace-economy hub in Gangwon Province, will host the 6th Jeodo Giant Octopus Festival at Daejin Port in Hyeonnaemyeon from June 12-14. The festival's theme centers on the rich, savory taste of giant octopus, and the port is expected to fill with the aroma of blanched octopus dishes.
The event aims to showcase Goseong's giant octopus, raised in the clean waters of the northern East Sea, while offering food and entertainment for both local residents and tourists.
The star of the festival is the giant octopus caught in the "Jeodo fishing ground." The waters lie roughly 1 kilometer from North Korea and fall within a military control zone, meaning access is restricted and fishing is permitted only from April through December each year. That limited access makes the area a source of premium-quality giant octopus and the primary livelihood of Daejin Port's fishing community.
A defining feature of this year's festival is that every participating vendor booth is run by Goseong residents. Particularly notable is the involvement of the Daejin Longline Association, whose fishermen will take center stage as living representatives of coastal village culture. All 31 resident-run booths are divided into nine hands-on experience booths, seven local specialty sales booths, seven flea market stalls and eight Jeodo gourmet food booths.
The Jeodo gourmet booths will serve dishes made entirely from giant octopus — blanched octopus slices alongside specialties such as "Jeodo octopus cold noodle soup" and octopus-and-potato salad. The experience and flea market booths will offer octopus-themed activities including octopus ceviche making, octopus-shaped gua sha tools and octopus keyring crafting.
A "spend-and-get-back receipt event" will also run to support local businesses. Visitors who submit receipts from purchases made in Hyeonnaemyeon from June 5-14 will receive a 5,000-won ($3.60) Goseong Love gift voucher in return. The main stage will host participatory events including an octopus-themed true-or-false quiz, an octopus auction and a Goseong shouting contest, with prizes on offer.
Special traffic measures will be in place for visitor convenience. The stretch from the Hyeonnaemyeon Altteul Super intersection to the Daejin 2-ri bus stop will be designated a no-parking zone, while the section from the Donghae Chinese Restaurant intersection to the fish market will operate as a one-way zone. Shuttle buses will run on the weekend — on Saturday, June 13, from two locations, Hwajinpo Marine Museum and Hyeonjisa, and on Sunday, June 14, from Hwajinpo Marine Museum only. No shuttle service will operate on the opening day, Friday, June 12. The shuttle hub at Hwajinpo Beach parking lot can accommodate 461 vehicles.
A festival official at the Goseong Cultural Foundation said this year's Giant Octopus Festival is an event driven by Goseong residents from planning through execution. "We hope visitors will fully enjoy the giant octopus that embodies the pristine Jeodo fishing ground and the hard work of Daejin Port's fishermen," the official said.
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