A scene from last year's Gwamegi Festival. [Pohang City]
A scene from last year's Gwamegi Festival. [Pohang City]

Pohang city in North Gyeongsang Province announced Thursday that the 27th Pohang Guryongpo Gwamegi Festival will be held Saturday and Sunday at Ara Plaza in Guryongpo.

Organized by the Pohang Guryongpo Gwamegi Business Cooperative, the two-day festival is designed to showcase the appeal of Guryongpo gwamegi — a dried fish delicacy — through its history, a variety of dishes and hands-on programs.

The festival grounds will feature a gwamegi exhibition hall and a discount sales area, along with family-friendly activities including a gwamegi photo zone, a ssam (wrapped bite) tasting experience and a children's drawing zone.

Guryongpo gwamegi is a winter delicacy dried in cold sea winds, prized for its savory depth and chewy texture. Traditionally eaten wrapped in seaweed and vegetables, it has become one of the signature foods introducing tourists to the flavors of Pohang, and is now served in a range of modern preparations as well.

Pohang city plans to use the festival to boost gwamegi consumption and draw tourists visiting Guryongpo into the local commercial district.

"We will do our best to prepare for the event so that this festival can lead to greater gwamegi consumption and a revitalization of the local economy," said Oh Jeong-heung, head of Pohang's fisheries policy division.


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com