The Jinhae Gunhangje, South Korea's largest cherry blossom festival, has been designated as a preliminary cultural tourism festival by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Changwon City in South Gyeongsang Province announced on January 27 that the festival, one of the nation's premier spring events, was selected as a preliminary festival for 2026-2027.
The preliminary designation serves as a preparatory stage for achieving official Cultural Tourism Festival status in 2028-2029. During the two-year period, the festival's competitiveness and operational capabilities will undergo comprehensive evaluation. The ministry will make its final designation decision based on assessments from experts, consumers, and local residents, along with reviews of potential issues such as price gouging and overall event management systems.
Changwon city officials said they will focus administrative efforts on enhancing festival content quality and improving operational systems. Plans include boosting visitor convenience, establishing price controls, strengthening safety management, and expanding global marketing to elevate the festival's international profile.
"The preliminary designation is an opportunity for Jinhae Gunhangje to advance to the next level," said Kim Man-ki, Director of the Culture, Tourism and Sports Bureau at Changwon City. "We will do our best to strengthen festival content and expand global promotion so that it can grow into a world-class spring festival beyond just a cultural tourism festival."
Now in its 64th year, the Jinhae Gunhangje will run for 10 days from March 27 through April 5. The festival program includes the Jinhae Military Music and Honor Guard Festival, Cherry Blossom Music Festival, Admiral Yi Sun-sin Victory Parade with maritime fireworks, Yeojwacheon Starlight Festival, and the Black Eagles air show.
City officials view the preliminary designation as a gateway to official Cultural Tourism Festival status while pursuing broader policy goals of revitalizing the local economy and expanding extended-stay tourism.