A good meal and a good book – what better combination for a festival? Hyoseok Cultural Festival, held from 2 September to 11 September in Bongpyeong, Ganwon brings together the literary and the culinary worlds.
It’s held in Bongpyeong because that’s the birthplace of author Lee Hyoseok. He wrote a popular novel called When Buckwheat Flowers Bloom. It’s the story of a trader and his son, born as the result of a one-night stand. It’s one of over 70 fictional works that the author created during his relatively short lifetime – he died at the age of just 35 in 1942.
Buckwheat, the local crop, features heavily in the story and so this annual festival featuring all things buckwheat-flavoured celebrates both the writer and the town. There are some writing competitions as well as food events, and you can tour the writer’s birthplace and memorial hall. Make sure to try the buckwheat noodles and pancakes!
Check out more details of how to get there here.
Some more advice about the festival events is here.
