My Favorite Dwaeji Gukbap Restaurant Could Become a Travel Destination at the 2026 Busan Dwaeji Gukbap Grand Fair
- Contents
-
□ For the first time, Busan Metropolitan City and the Busan Tourism Organization are holding the Busan Dwaeji Gukbap Grand Fair from August to October 2026.
○ The 2026 Busan Dwaeji Gukbap Grand Fair aims to shed a new light on Dwaeji Gukbap—a pork soup with rice that has long been a staple in Busan—through online and offline public engagement and a mix of content, transforming it into a signature tourism brand embodying the taste of Busan.
□ Recently, increasing attention to a region’s cuisine and everyday culture has made distinctive specialties an important factor in trip planning and city promotion.
○ Long woven into the daily life of Busan, Dwaeji Gukbap is prepared in different styles and flavors at individual establishments.
○ Busan and the Busan Tourism Organization intend to capitalize on the popularity of Dwaeji Gukbap to cultivate a gastronomic tourism model that turns interest among locals and tourists into actual visits to restaurants, thereby expanding the scope of tourism.
□ The 2026 Busan Dwaeji Gukbap Grand Fair is an interactive culinary tourism experience in which 20 restaurants will be chosen via online and offline input, followed by voting for the TOP 10 and TOP 3. The event consists of four stages: ① Survey, ② Roundtable, ③ Dwaeji Gukbap Week, and ④ Showcase.
○ (Survey) Anyone can participate through August 29. Online opinions are collected from comments on YouTube and Instagram posts associated with the event; offline surveys are carried out in traditional markets and other areas with high pedestrian traffic. Informed by respondents’ feedback and stories, 20 Dwaeji Gukbap restaurants will be identified, along with Gukbap lovers who are well-versed in all things Dwaeji Gukbap.
○ (Roundtable) On September 19, those involved in the 20 chosen restaurants, the Gukbap lovers who picked them, and experts will meet to discuss the unique qualities of each dish, the reasons behind the choices, and the rich appeal of Dwaeji Gukbap. The roundtable will be produced as a video and released publicly.
○ (Dwaeji Gukbap Week) From September 28 to October 14, both residents and travelers will cast votes for the TOP 10 and TOP 3 by dining at the 20 restaurants or using Kakao Map.
○ (Showcase) This three-day celebration will be staged at BIFC2 from October 16–18, comprising multiple programs that allow attendees to savor Dwaeji Gukbap at food stalls and watch cooking shows. The Dwaeji Gukbap Award is slated for October 17, when the three best restaurants of the year will be announced.
□ A standout aspect of the event has Dwaeji Gukbap restaurants across the city act as event sites, encouraging exploration not only of the restaurants themselves but also of nearby commercial districts and sightseeing spots.
□ For further details see the Visit Busan website (www.visitbusan.net) and Instagram (@visitbusan.kr) for details.
