Presidential Award-winning traditional liquors paired with hansik

'Medi Garden' zone to serve foreign tourists

District Mayor Kim vows to energize local commerce

Gangnam-gu District Mayor Kim Hyun-ki. [Gangnam-gu]
Gangnam-gu District Mayor Kim Hyun-ki. [Gangnam-gu]

Gangnam-gu will operate the "2026 Gangnam Food Week Zone" and the "2026 Gangnam Medi-Tour Pop-up Zone" in the east-entrance lounge of COEX from Wednesday through Saturday, targeting both domestic and international visitors, the district announced Tuesday.

The event is tied to the "2026 Korea Food Week," co-hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and COEX.

The Gangnam Food Week Zone, themed "The Taste and Style of Gangnam," will showcase Korean food and traditional culture together. Featured drinks include Applerize, Cheonbihyang and Mowol — three traditional liquors that have received the Presidential Award — paired with dishes designed to complement them. Menus drawing on hansik ingredients include olive and cherry-tomato jeongwa skewers, lotus-root chip and mashed-potato canapés, and salted baby octopus cream cheese nurungji chips.

During the event, visitors who present a physical receipt of 10,000 won ($7) or more from a store at COEX or in the Samseong-dong area and complete a tourism survey will receive a free food-tasting opportunity. The program is designed to draw COEX visitors into nearby stores and encourage spending in the local area.

Traditional music performances will be held daily. Kim Sang-yeon, a daegeum player and professor at Jeonnam National University, will serve as overall artistic director. Performances will run three times a day — at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. — from Wednesday through Saturday, with a different program at each time slot. Visitors can also try on traditional durumagi robes and gat hats. A photo zone styled as an ink-wash painting with a hanok backdrop will let visitors take commemorative photos, offering foreign guests a welcoming introduction to Korean traditional culture.

A Gangnam Medi-Tour Pop-up Zone for foreign tourists will run concurrently. Under the theme "A Journey of Self-Care, Blooming in Gangnam," the zone will feature a "Medi Garden" providing information on Gangnam's medical tourism offerings. It is designed to help visitors explore their areas of interest through hands-on experiences and ultimately make actual medical tourism visits to the district.

"We organized this event so that domestic and international visitors to COEX can go beyond simply viewing exhibitions and instead enjoy Korean food and culture while experiencing the diverse charms of Gangnam," Gangnam-gu District Mayor Kim Hyun-ki said. "We will continue to actively connect international exhibitions and conventions with local tourism resources, so that more tourists visit Gangnam and vitality flows through the local commercial district."


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