Hyoseok Cultural Festival (평창효석문화제)

The Hyoseok Cultural Festival is one of Korea’s best-known fall cultural tourism festivals, held in Bongpyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do. First held in 1999, the festival takes place around September every year in Bongpyeong-myeon, the real-life setting of When the Buckwheat Flowers Bloom, a classic modern Korean short story by Lee Hyo-seok (pen name: Gasan). The festival is best known for its vast fields of white buckwheat flowers, which bloom so densely that they look as if they have been dusted with salt. Visitors can experience firsthand the natural scenery of Bongpyeong that serves as the backdrop to the story. The program includes literary events honoring Lee Hyo-seok and his work, traditional folk games, a food market featuring local specialties, and a variety of cultural and artistic performances by local residents and artists. In doing so, the festival helps promote the region’s literary heritage and rural traditions while also supporting the local economy.