Make 10 kg of Kimchi and Carry It Home: The Kimjang Experience at Pyeongchang’s Kimchi Festival

Part 1 of 6 in Korea Winter Travel Guide

Korea Winter Travel Guide, Part 1 · Checked October 26, 2026 · Prices in USD at ₩1,325 = $1, rounded

Featured photo: Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm. Photo: Ken Eckert, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

In Pyeongchang’s mountain town of Jinbu, you pull on rubber gloves under a long tent, rub red paste between salted cabbage leaves for an hour, and walk out with a 10 kg box of kimchi. Kimjang, Korea’s UNESCO-listed winter kimchi ritual, is never easier to try yourself.

Pyeongchang Highland Kimjang Festival 2026 at a Glance

Dates	Wed, Nov 4 – Mon, Nov 16, 2026 (13 days)
Hours	Kimjang sessions daily 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; walk-in registration closes 4:00 p.m.
Venue	Odaecheon festival grounds, Jinbu-myeon, Pyeongchang, Gangwon (the Pyeongchang Trout Festival site)
Entry	Free (you pay only for the kimjang set)
Booking	Official site gimjang700.co.kr or +82-33-336-4000, open since Oct 20. Up to 3,000 people a day
Organizers	Pyeongchang County and the Odaesan Stream Festival Committee

Kimjang set prices (2026)

Set	What you get	Price
Standard	7 kg sea-salt-brined napa cabbage + 3 kg seasoning = 10 kg kimchi	$52 (₩69,000)
Premium	10 kg cabbage brined in deep-sea-water salt	$60 (₩79,000)
Altari (ponytail radish)	7 kg sea-salt-brined altari radish	$53 (₩70,000)

Last year the premium set’s pre-booking allocation sold out on day one. If you want premium, book now. Last year you could also ask for less salt, extra Odaesan mustard greens, or extra fresh shrimp.

Also read: The World's Coolest Neighborhood Only Opens After Dark: Hanok Alleys and Street Pocha in Seoul's Jongno 3-ga

How the Kimjang Works

1. Go to the tent at your booked time. Last year there were eight time slots a day. With a booking you walk straight in; walk-ins wait a little.
2. At your spot you find brined cabbage, seasoning, plastic and rubber gloves, and a kimchi tub and box. The cabbage is already trimmed and salted.
3. Lift each leaf and spread the seasoning. If it’s your first time, women from the village association stand beside you and show you how.
4. Pack the finished kimchi into the tub. A standard set takes 30 minutes to an hour.
5. Staff carry the box to your car. A courier desk can also ship it straight to any address in Korea.

Apart from a few things like salted seafood, the ingredients come from Pyeongchang. Cabbage and radish are grown under contract, and the chili powder carries the grower’s name. Last year the festival used a 1,768 m² membrane tent plus the trout festival’s performance hall, and more than 600 people made kimchi at the same time every hour.

@pyeongchanggun (Pyeongchang County official), 2026 pre-booking notice (Instagram)

@leewoor, “my first kimjang,” 7 kg + 3 kg set, 2025 (Instagram)

@malgeum_papa, a family kimjang video (Instagram)

What do travelers do with 10 kg of kimchi?

• Split it. Two people sharing one set get 5 kg each. The festival hands out tubs and bags you can divide it into.
• Ship it inside Korea. Send it to a friend who lives in Korea or to your Seoul hotel. Hotels differ on accepting parcels, so ask yours first.
• Pick the altari set. At 7 kg it’s a bit lighter.
• Flying home? Liquid and gel rules keep it out of carry-on bags. For checked luggage, check both your airline’s rules and your home country’s food import rules.
• Not planning to take kimchi home? Skip the session and just enjoy the festival restaurant and farm market.

Top 10 Ways to Enjoy the Pyeongchang Kimjang Festival

1. Make your own kimjang

As above. The 9–10 a.m. slots are the quietest; weekend afternoons are the busiest. Your hands get cold, so a thin cotton glove under the rubber one helps. Bring an apron.

@gwto_official (Gangwon Tourism), the Pyeongchang kimjang festival (Instagram)

2. Dumpling soup and boiled pork after the kimjang

The festival restaurant serves gat-mandu (dumplings with mustard greens), a Pyeongchang local dish, plus kimchi-pork dumplings made with festival kimchi, all simmered in Daegwallyeong Hanwoo beef broth. Last year the Jinbu women’s association hand-folded more than 4,000 dumplings a day, and some days they still ran out. Fresh kimchi with boiled pork (suyuk) and acorn jelly salad are on the menu too. Eat lunch before noon to be safe.

@pyeongchanggun (Pyeongchang County official), the 2025 festival grounds (Instagram)

3. The Pyeongchang farm market and apple booths

Highland cabbage, potatoes, mountain greens and Pyeongchang apples at farm-gate prices. Last year the livestock co-op’s mobile truck sold Daegwallyeong Hanwoo beef, oxtail and bones cheaply.

@rucydays, a 2026 visit to the kimjang festival (Instagram)

@gogohong123, scenes from the festival (Instagram)

4. Woljeongsa Fir Forest Path: the road from Goblin

Fifteen minutes by car from the festival. About 1,700 fir trees, some centuries old, line a path of just over 1 km. In the K-drama Goblin (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God), this is where Gong Yoo opens his heart to Kim Go-eun. First snow often falls by mid-November. Woljeongsa no longer charges a heritage admission fee; you pay only for parking.

@ss_song._.2, the fir forest under snow (Instagram)

@travelwithsera, Woljeongsa in March snow (Instagram)

5. Walk the Seonjae-gil trail

A forest trail of about 9 km along the Odaecheon stream from Woljeongsa to Sangwonsa. If that’s too much, walk 30–40 minutes from Woljeongsa and turn back; you’ll still see the valley.

6. Mountain-greens set meal at the Odaesan entrance

The restaurant strip below Woljeongsa is all about sanchae jeongsik, a set meal of wild mountain greens. Dongdaesan Sikdang (see “Where to Eat”) has the highest Google rating.

@happy79_hyejeong, Dongdaesan’s mountain-greens set meal (Instagram)

7. Balwangsan cable car and sky garden: Yongpyong from Winter Sonata

About 20 minutes by car from the festival, at Mona Yongpyong Resort, a 7.4 km round-trip cable car takes 18 minutes up to the 1,458 m summit of Balwangsan. From the skywalk at the top (a 24 m-high observation deck) you see the whole Daegwallyeong ridge. Yongpyong Resort is where the drama Winter Sonata was filmed. Adult round trip is about $20 (₩27,000, autumn 2026). It usually runs 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and stops in strong wind.

@ddukku.zip, “Pyeongchang’s frozen kingdom”: rime frost and skywalk (Instagram)

@with__ari, Balwangsan skywalk video (Instagram)

8. Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm

About 30 minutes by car from the festival. Walk the loop around the pasture, then feed hay to the sheep in the barn. Adults about $7 (₩9,000); tickets 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (October 2026).

@sarangsnap_travel, Daegwallyeong under snow (Instagram)

@silvery.eh, autumn leaves and sunset at the sheep farm (Instagram)

9. Pyeongchang trout sashimi

Jinbu hosts the winter Pyeongchang Trout Festival, and Pyeongchang is the heart of Korea’s trout farming. Trout raised in cold mountain water is eaten raw as hoe. See “Where to Eat.”

@bona_camping, Pyeongchang trout sashimi (Instagram)

@byul6k, a plate of Pyeongchang trout sashimi (827 likes) (Instagram)

10. Jinbu five-day market

Jinbu Traditional Market opens on days ending in 3 and 8. During the festival that’s Sun, Nov 8 and Fri, Nov 13. Street stalls sell mountain greens, buckwheat crepes (memil jeonbyeong) and sorghum pancakes (susu bukkumi).

@nicole_seong, Jinbu five-day market (Instagram)

Getting There

From Myeongdong (central Seoul hotels)

1. Subway Line 4, Myeongdong → Seoul Station (2 stops, about 5 min, about $1).
2. KTX-Eum, Gangneung Line, Seoul Station → Jinbu (Odaesan) Station. About 1 hr 45 min, standard seat about $17 (₩21,900), 9 trains a day (first at 5:40 a.m.). The same line also leaves from Cheongnyangni. Book on the Korail Talk app or letskorail.com.

3. Taxi from Jinbu (Odaesan) Station to the festival, about 5 minutes. Use the taxi stand in front of the station.

4. By bus: Dong Seoul Bus Terminal → Jinbu Intercity Bus Terminal, about 2 hours, premium seat about $14 (₩18,700), 8 buses a day. Taxi from the terminal to the festival, about 5 minutes.

From Incheon Airport

1. AREX Express Train → Seoul Station (43 min, about $8 / ₩11,000).

2. From Seoul Station, the KTX-Eum above to Jinbu (Odaesan), about 1 hr 45 min.

3. With transfers, airport to festival takes 3 to 3.5 hours. Land on a morning flight and you can make kimchi the same afternoon.

@happy79_hyejeong, KTX to Jinbu and the kimchi shipped home by courier (Instagram)

Getting around

Woljeongsa, Balwangsan and the sheep farm have few buses. A one-day rental car or a hired Jinbu taxi is the realistic choice. Gangneung is just over 20 minutes from Jinbu by KTX, so a one-night trip pairing the festival with the Gangneung coast is easy.

Where to Eat (Pyeongchang specialties; Google ratings checked Oct 26, 2026)

Restaurant	What to order	Google	Where
Dongdaesan Sikdang (동대산식당)	Mountain-greens set meal, dried pollack soup, greens bibimbap (Odaesan greens; government-certified “100-year shop”)	4.6	152 Odaesan-ro, Jinbu-myeon, at the Woljeongsa entrance
Gobau Sikdang (고바우식당)	Rice-cake dumpling soup, makguksu (Pyeongchang buckwheat, handmade dumplings)	4.5	90-17 Cheongsong-ro, Jinbu-myeon; closes 4:30 p.m.
Uga Hanwoo (우가한우전문점)	Grilled Hanwoo (Daegwallyeong beef)	4.7	56-1 Songjeong-gil, Jinbu-myeon
Jinbu Gukbap (진부국밥)	Rice soup (gukbap)	4.6	90-14 Cheongsong-ro, Jinbu-myeon
Dume Sangol (두메산골)	Country-style Korean meals	4.4	20 Jinbusijang-dwitgil, Jinbu-myeon; closes 7:00 p.m.
Mujigae Trout (무지개송어횟집)	Trout sashimi (Pyeongchang trout)	4.3	15-7 Sinyaksu-ro, Yongpyeong-myeon
Heosaengwon Bongpyeong Buckwheat Noodles (허생원봉평메밀국수)	Buckwheat noodles (Bongpyeong buckwheat)	4.4	134 Lee Hyo-seok-gil, Bongpyeong-myeon; 30 min by car
Daegwallyeong Hanwoo Village (대관령한우촌)	Grilled Hanwoo (Daegwallyeong beef)	4.4	Alpensia Resort Bldg 104, Daegwallyeong-myeon

@pyeongchanggun (Pyeongchang County official), Jinbu Gukbap (Instagram)

@cheez__z, Heosaengwon buckwheat noodles (1,565 likes) (Instagram)

@yang.tiger_j, Korean beef at Daegwallyeong Hanwoo Village (Instagram)

@happymija_, a mountain-greens spread at Dongdaesan after a winter walk at Woljeongsa (Instagram)

Where to Stay (Google Maps prices checked Oct 26, 2026; vary by date)

Hotel	Class / Google	Per night, approx.	To the festival
Kensington Hotel Pyeongchang	5-star, 4.2	from $79 (₩105,000)	Odaesan entrance, about 15 min by car
Ramada Hotel & Suites Pyeongchang	4.3	check by date	Jinbu area
Holiday Inn Alpensia	5-star, 4.4	from $67 (₩88,800)	Daegwallyeong-myeon, about 25 min by car
InterContinental Alpensia Pyeongchang	5-star, 4.4	from $143 (₩190,000)	Daegwallyeong-myeon, about 25 min by car
Madeleine Pension	Guesthouse, 4.0	from $67 (₩88,700)	Jinbu area

• For a night in a mountain temple, Woljeongsa runs a templestay (booking required).

@seo._.youngg, Kensington Hotel Pyeongchang (Instagram)

@shiba_bowoo, Ramada Pyeongchang (Instagram)

@ohy8828, Holiday Inn Alpensia in winter (Instagram)

@taxshin55, InterContinental Alpensia Pyeongchang (Instagram)

How Fast This Festival Grew

The first festival in 2016 took in about ₩250 million. By 2024 it passed ₩2 billion, and last year (2025) it drew about 60,000 visitors and about ₩3 billion (roughly $2.3 million) in sales. Every day 150 to 250 residents direct traffic, carry kimchi and coach beginners. Last year Pyeongchang County declared November 11 “Pyeongchang Kimjang Day.”

All the Places on One Map

1. Festival grounds
2. Woljeongsa Fir Forest Path
3. Seonjae-gil trail
4. Balwangsan Cable Car (Mona Yongpyong Dragon Plaza)
5. Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm
6. Jinbu Traditional Market
7. Jinbu (Odaesan) Station
8. Dongdaesan Sikdang
9. Gobau Sikdang
10. Uga Hanwoo
11. Jinbu Gukbap
12. Dume Sangol
13. Mujigae Trout
14. Heosaengwon Bongpyeong Buckwheat Noodles
15. Daegwallyeong Hanwoo Village
16. Kensington Hotel Pyeongchang
17. Ramada Hotel & Suites Pyeongchang
18. Holiday Inn Alpensia
19. InterContinental Alpensia
20. Madeleine Pension

Next, Korea’s winter festivals go to the sea. On November 19, Moseulpo, the southernmost port in Korea, has its busiest days of the year for yellowtail.

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Sources

• 2026 dates, sets, prices, hours: Gukje News, Oct 19, 2026, Nongmin Shinmun, Oct 22, 2026, Chuncheon MBC, Newsis, Oct 26, 2026
• Last year’s format, results, dumpling soup: Herald Business, Oct 26, 2025, Herald Business, Nov 17, 2025
• Transport: Korail timetable and fares (Seoul–Jinbu (Odaesan), 2026), Dong Seoul Bus Terminal timetable
• Balwangsan and sheep farm: Mona Yongpyong and Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm notices (October 2026)
• Ratings and room rates: Google Maps (Oct 26, 2026)
• Kimjang on the UNESCO list (2013)
• Instagram posts are embedded from their authors’ public accounts; videos are embedded from their official channels.