Salmon that have roamed the North Pacific are making their way home to the Namdae River in Yangyang-gun — and this autumn, their return coincides with the harvest of pine mushrooms grown in the forests of the Baekdudaegan mountain range. Together, they are the heart of a festival.
Yangyang has become a sacred site for returning salmon because the fish carry in their bodies a memory of the river's comfort and purity.
It is a place woven into the early memories of the salmon themselves, and of their mothers and grandmothers before them — and a place tinged with the bittersweet parting that follows the act of giving life. Salmon remember the scent of their home river and swim thousands of kilometers upstream to reach it, and many die after spawning.
The instinct to return to one's birth river to lay eggs is known as natal homing — the drive to go back to the stream where life began.
Experts say salmon can move between fresh water and salt water because they are able to regulate the difference in salinity between their body fluids and the surrounding environment.
The outward journey — hatching in fresh water and growing up in the sea — is relatively straightforward. The return, however, is grueling.
The fish must push against strong currents and evade countless predators. On the long road back to Yangyang, salmon are said to rest during the day by hiding in crevices between rocks and conserving energy, moving mainly at night.
It is one of the few places in the country where this natural wonder can be witnessed. Yangyang-gun and the Yangyang Culture Foundation will hold the 2026 Yangyang Pine Mushroom and Salmon Festival along the Namdae River and surrounding areas from Oct. 16 to 18. If you find yourself taking part in one of the festival's highlights — catching a salmon with your bare hands — take a moment to reflect on the salmon's remarkable journey.
Advance reservations for the festival's main hands-on programs — a pine mushroom treasure hunt, bare-hand salmon catching, a Yangyang pine mushroom liqueur-making experience and a salmon ecology tour — open Monday at 9 a.m., right after the chuseok holiday.
Reservations for the two signature programs — the pine mushroom treasure hunt and bare-hand salmon catching — are made through the official app "Go Go Yangyang." The entry fee is 30,000 won ($22) per person, of which 10,000 won is refunded as a Yangyang Love gift voucher; on the first day of the festival (Oct. 16, a weekday), an additional 10,000 won discount applies, bringing the cost down to 20,000 won per person.
The pine mushroom treasure hunt takes place in pristine mountain forests along the Baekdudaegan range and runs three sessions a day during the festival. Each session accepts up to 50 advance reservations, with an additional 30 spots available for walk-ins on the day.
The bare-hand salmon catching experience — a direct encounter with the Namdae River's most iconic ecological resident — also runs three sessions a day. Of the 100 participants per session, 60 spots are filled through advance reservations and the remaining 40 are offered on a first-come, first-served basis on site. Participants must bring their own water shoes, a towel and a change of clothes.
A pine mushroom liqueur-making workshop is also on offer, and participants take home a 330-milliliter bottle of the liqueur they make. The entry fee is 20,000 won per person. Advance reservations can be made on the festival's official website, and walk-in registration will also be available on site during the festival.
Alongside this, a salmon ecology tour will guide visitors through the salmon's return journey and the broader ecosystem of the Namdae River.
Built around the fragrant allure of pine mushrooms and the powerful life force of salmon returning to the Namdae River, the festival will offer far more than hands-on activities. Visitors of all ages can look forward to a cooking show featuring salmon and local Yangyang ingredients, traditional rubbing-print experiences, ecology education sessions and exhibition programs.
Full schedules, operating hours for each program and reservation details for the 2026 Yangyang Pine Mushroom and Salmon Festival are available on the festival's official website and through the Go Go Yangyang app.
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