Pyeongchang Hyoseok Buckwheat Festival

The Pyeongchang Hyoseok Cultural Festival is one of Korea's leading autumn culture and tourism festivals, held around Bongpyeong-myeon in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon State. First launched in 1999, it takes place every year around September and is set in Bongpyeong, the real-life backdrop of Yi Hyo-seok's celebrated Korean short story 'When the Buckwheat Flowers Bloom.' The festival grounds are famous for fields of white buckwheat flowers blooming so thickly they look sprinkled with salt, letting visitors experience the very scenery described in the novel. Main events include literary programs honoring Yi Hyo-seok's work, traditional folk games, stalls selling local food, and various cultural performances by local residents and artists. Through these, the Pyeongchang Hyoseok Cultural Festival promotes both the region's literary heritage and its traditional rural culture while boosting the local economy.