Gangwon Province is known for its potatoes, but its inland region has something called "O-Gamja" — a play on the Korean word for potato and the number five.
The name refers to a cluster of five cities and counties — Wonju, Hoengseong, Pyeongchang, Hongcheon and Yeongwol — known for their clean ecosystems, ecological trails and historical heritage. The group is also called "Daseot Baljaguk," or "Five Footsteps," evoking both nature trekking and the traces of history.
The five municipalities have formed the Five Footsteps Tourism Marketing Council and, together with the Gangwon Tourism Foundation, will run an "O-Gamja Festa" pop-up store at Starfield Hanam's Mollys and Atrium spaces near Seoul from Friday through Sunday.
The council was established to coordinate joint tourism marketing across the five districts. The event was organized to promote the region's diverse attractions to Greater Seoul tourists as part of the "2025–2026 Visit Gangwon Year" campaign.
![Hoengseong Hanwoo beef [provided by Oak Valley]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/07/23/news-p.v1.20260723.a37985698c9248809ccbb431645e5cb4_P1.png)
Last year's regional tours and farewell tours under the Five Footsteps banner drew strong visitor response, prompting organizers to plan this Greater Seoul pop-up to attract an even larger audience this year.
Built around the concept of "turning sensory experiences into travel memories," the event assigns one of the five senses to each district: sight to Wonju, smell to Hongcheon, taste to Hoengseong, touch to Yeongwol and sound to Pyeongchang.
Wonju will offer trick-art experiences and photo-booth events set against the backdrop of its signature attraction, Sogeumsan Grand Valley. Visitors who collect all five sensory stamps and participate in at least three activity booths will be entered into a lucky draw; the top prize is a four-person regional accommodation voucher.
The pop-up will also spotlight the scenery of Hoengseong Lake and its famed Hanwoo beef, Yeongwol's Cheongnyeongpo exile site and Paleozoic geology, Pyeongchang's buckwheat fields and Olympic legacy, and Hongcheon's wellness offerings.
"We hope this pop-up store will serve as an opportunity to widely introduce the diverse tourism attractions of Wonju and the other four cities and counties to visitors from the Greater Seoul area," said Won Min-cheol, head of the tourism division. "We will continue to develop tourism content and products that strengthen inter-regional connections to help revitalize local tourism."
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