Jeju’s Moseulpo Yellowtail Festival: Catch an 8 kg Fish Bare-Handed, Eat It as Sashimi

Part 2 of 6 in Korea Winter Travel Guide

Korea Winter Travel Guide, Part 2 · Checked October 27, 2026 · Prices in USD at ₩1,325 = $1, rounded · Guest singers and sashimi prices will be updated after the pre-festival notice

For four days from November 19, people at Moseulpo Port on Jeju’s southwest tip jump into a pool, grab yellowtail with their bare hands, and eat what they catch as sashimi right there. Last year 200,000 people came and took home about 2,500 fish.

@jeju_source, bare-handed yellowtail catching (445 likes) (Instagram)

The 2026 Choenamdan Bangeo Festival at a Glance

Dates	Thu, Nov 19 – Sun, Nov 22, 2026 (4 days)
Opening and closing	Opening ceremony Nov 19 at 5 p.m.; closing ceremony and fireworks Nov 22 at 8 p.m.
Venue	Around Moseulpo Port (Hamohanggu-ro), Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo, Jeju
Entry	Free (you pay only for some activities)
Sign-up	All activities are first come, first served, on site, on the day
Organizer	Choenamdan (“southernmost”) Bangeo Festival Committee, with the Moseulpo fisheries cooperative; backed by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Jeju Province and Seogwipo City
Contact	+82-64-794-8032, bangeofestival.com

Also read: Two and a Half Hours From the Subway to a Granite Summit: Hiking Bukhansan's Baegundae in Seoul

Why Moseulpo Yellowtail Is Different

Bangeo is yellowtail (buri in Japanese). It fattens up in winter, and from November to February it’s the fish Koreans eat raw. During festival week, around 10 a.m. at the Moseulpo fisheries co-op auction hall, a single yellowtail over 8 kg sells for ₩170,000–250,000 ($128–189). Last year the yellowtail and food stalls took in more than ₩2 billion in four days, and the Jeju Citrus Expo runs the same week in Seogwipo.

@jeju_source, the 2026 festival announcement (404 likes) (Instagram)

@all.about.jeju, last year’s festival (420 likes) (Instagram)

The fish here grow big swimming against the wind and strong currents off Marado and Gapado islands. They put on flesh from November to February and carry the most fat around the time the first snow falls. Local boats don’t use nets; they catch them one at a time with damselfish (jari) as bait, so the fish are less bruised and the flesh is firmer. Size decides the name and the price.

Grade	Weight	Note
Teukdae (extra large)	8 kg+	Last year ₩170,000–250,000 ($128–189) at the co-op auction
Dae (large)	4–8 kg	The size most sashimi restaurants serve
Jung (medium)	Under 4 kg
So (small)	2.5 kg or less

Restaurants slice it by cut: belly button (baekkop-sal), belly, back and the strip in between. The head and bones go into a clear soup (jiri) or a braise. The Moseulpo way is to wrap the sashimi in seaweed with rice and aged kimchi.

@captain._kim, a jari-bait yellowtail off Marado (1,597 likes) (Instagram)

Top 10 Ways to Enjoy the Moseulpo Yellowtail Festival

1. Catch a yellowtail bare-handed

Big yellowtail are let loose in a pool and you chase them with your hands. Whatever you catch, you keep. Nov 19–22, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. (until 2:30 p.m. on the last day), ₩20,000 ($15). Wear clothes you can get soaked and bring a change. Kids’ catching runs Nov 20–22, noon–3 p.m., free, first come first served.

@jeju.eats, catching a huge yellowtail (Instagram)

2. Fish for yellowtail in the sea pen

Drop a line into a fish pen beside the breakwater. Nov 19–22, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., ₩20,000 ($15), sign up on site. No fishing experience needed.

@trip.in.jeju, four days of the yellowtail festival (Instagram)

3. Bid in a fish auction

Visitors take part in a real auction and buy a yellowtail. Nov 20–22, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; joining is free and you pay only your winning bid. You can also watch the co-op’s actual morning auction (around 10 a.m.) from a distance.

4. Giant yellowtail carving show and eating contest

Saturday, Nov 21 at 11 a.m., a yellowtail over 8 kg is broken down cut by cut on stage. At noon an eating contest follows (sign up on site).

@jeju_rawfish, the eight cuts of a big yellowtail (722 likes) (Instagram)

5. Free tasting and the “lucky key”

Nov 20–22, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., there’s a free yellowtail tasting, and if your key opens one of four “lucky” locks, you win a whole fish. Stalls sell cheap yellowtail sashimi and cooked yellowtail dishes. Most take cash only, so bring won.

@jeju__yummy, the yellowtail platter Moseulpo locals order (Instagram)

@jhb916, a platter of large and extra-large yellowtail (Instagram)

6. Haenyeo singing contest and conch scramble

Saturday, Nov 21, 1–2:30 p.m.: a conch (bulsora) scramble, a contest making the floats (taewak) that Jeju’s women divers use, and a haenyeo singing contest. Jeju’s haenyeo culture is on UNESCO’s list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

@mc_minzzing, the main stage on day three of the 2025 festival (Instagram)

7. The yellowtail song contest and fireworks

The Bangeo Song Contest (preliminaries Nov 20, final Nov 22) is a hometown singing contest the whole town turns out for. After the 8 p.m. closing ceremony on Nov 22, fireworks go up over the port.

8. Take the ferry to Gapado or Marado

From Unjin Port in Moseulpo it’s 15 minutes by boat to Gapado and 25–30 minutes to Marado. On Marado, Korea’s southernmost island, you eat jjajangmyeon (black-bean noodles); on Gapado you circle the flat island by bike. Strong wind often cancels sailings, so check the operator’s notice the day before, and confirm fares and times before you board.

@jeju.toctoc, Gapado, the island off the island (324 likes) (Instagram)

@kimehwa, going to Marado for jjajangmyeon (5,657 likes) (Instagram)

@monthly.jeju, how to get to Marado from Unjin Port (Instagram)

9. Songaksan coastal trail and Alddreu Airfield

Ten minutes’ drive from the festival. The Songaksan trail runs about an hour along sea cliffs, with Hyeongjeseom, Gapado and Marado offshore. Nearby, at Alddreu Airfield, about 20 aircraft hangars built by the Japanese military during the colonial era still stand in the middle of farm fields.

@travel_behappyhere, the Songaksan trail (5,770 likes) (Instagram)

@visitjeju.kr (Jeju Tourism Organization), the Songaksan trail (Instagram)

@artart.today, Alddreu Airfield (2,424 likes) (Instagram)

10. Daejeong five-day market, Sanbangsan and Yongmeori Coast

The Daejeong (Moseulpo) market opens on days ending in 1 and 6, so Saturday, Nov 21, day three of the festival, is a market day (about 8 a.m.–2 p.m.). Fifteen minutes away by car, Sanbangsan and the Yongmeori Coast walk take you along cliffs of layered sandstone; the coast path closes when waves are high.

@jeju_buong, food at the Daejeong market (Instagram)

@rereon__, Yongmeori Coast (2,839 likes) (Instagram)

@oliviaaaashin, sunset at Sanbangsan (1,496 likes) (Instagram)

The same week: Jeju Citrus Expo

Nov 19–23, the Jeju Citrus Expo runs at the Jeju Agricultural Ecology Garden in Seogwipo, with tangerine picking and displays of citrus varieties. About 30 minutes by car from Moseulpo.

@citrus_expo (official), the 2026 expo (Instagram)

Know the controversy

Last year five groups, including a west Jeju conservation alliance, surveyed about 300 visitors at the festival. Overall satisfaction was 3.7 out of 5, and the bare-handed catch scored 3.48. The groups called chasing live fish by hand cruel and asked for a rethink. Parking shortages and cash-only stalls were also complaints. Even so, 200,000 people came in those four days.

Getting There (from Jeju International Airport)

Moseulpo Port is about 40 km from Jeju International Airport, and you can get there by bus without a rental car.

By bus

1. Express bus 151 (toward Unjin Port): board at the bus stop on the airport’s first floor and get off at Hamo Sports Park (Hamo Cheyuk Gongwon). Walk 300 m to the port. About 1 hr 15 min.
2. Express bus 152 (toward Unjin Port): same stop, same Hamo Sports Park drop-off. About 1 hr 17 min.

3. Express 182, then trunk bus 255: transfer to the 255 (toward Unjin Port / Jeongjon village) and get off at Moseulpo Port. About 1 hr 30 min.

4. Express fare about ₩3,000 ($2), transit card or cash.

5. If you stay for the 8 p.m. fireworks on the last night, check the last bus back to the airport before you go.

By rental car

• About 40 km, 1 hr 10 min. Set your GPS to “Moseulpo Port parking lot” (모슬포항 주차장). Lots fill early during the festival, so arrive in the morning.

Where to Eat (Moseulpo yellowtail and local food; Google ratings checked Oct 27, 2026)

Restaurant	What to order	Google rating	Where
Miyeongine (미영이네)	Mackerel and yellowtail sashimi, spicy fish stew after	4.5	42 Hamohanggu-ro, facing the port
Jeju Bada (제주바다)	Yellowtail sashimi, seafood	4.5	2128-2 Hamo-ri
Sunuleum (수눌음)	Yellowtail set: sashimi, sashimi noodles, braise, clear soup	4.4	50 Hamohanggu-ro
Donbangseok Susan (돈방석수산)	Yellowtail sashimi (fish shop and restaurant)	4.4	770-30 Hamo-ri
Hanggu Sikdang (항구식당)	Yellowtail sashimi, yellowtail clear soup	4.3	64 Hamohanggu-ro, opens 8 a.m.
Manseon Sikdang (만선식당)	Mackerel and yellowtail sashimi, braised hairtail	4.3	44 Hamohanggu-ro
Donghyeon Sikdang (동현식당)	Sashimi	4.3	28 Choenamdanhaean-ro
Okdom Sikdang (옥돔식당)	Bomal kalguksu (noodles with Jeju sea snails)	4.1	1067-23 Hamo-ri

Yellowtail prices change daily, and menus just say “market price.” Ask the price per kilo and how many people it feeds before you order.

@jeju_source, mackerel sashimi at Miyeongine (264 likes) (Instagram)

@leehaeyoung1730, Manseon Sikdang (4,450 likes) (Instagram)

@jeju__yummy, sea snail and abalone noodles at Okdom Sikdang (Instagram)

Where to Stay (Google Maps prices checked Oct 27, 2026; vary by date)

Stay	Type, rating	From, per night	To the festival
Sun & Moon Resort	4-star, 4.6	$80	Daejeong-eup, 10 min by car
Stay Day & Day	Resort, 4.5	$65	Daejeong-eup
HOTEL 52	3-star, 4.3	$58	Hamo-ri, walkable
Sanbangsan Hotel	Hotel, 4.3	$42	Sagye, Andeok-myeon, 15 min by car
Bulranji Hotel	3-star, 4.2	$34	Hamo-ri, walkable

Moseulpo rooms fill fast on festival weekend. Downtown Seogwipo (an hour by bus) or Jungmun (40 minutes) also work.

All the Places on One Map

1. Moseulpo Port (festival grounds)
2. Unjin Port (ferries to Gapado and Marado)
3. Gapado Island
4. Marado Island
5. Songaksan coastal trail
6. Alddreu Airfield
7. Daejeong five-day market
8. Sanbangsan
9. Yongmeori Coast
10. Jeju Agricultural Ecology Garden (Citrus Expo)
11. Miyeongine
12. Jeju Bada
13. Sunuleum
14. Donbangseok Susan
15. Hanggu Sikdang
16. Manseon Sikdang
17. Donghyeon Sikdang
18. Okdom Sikdang
19. Sun & Moon Resort
20. Stay Day & Day
21. HOTEL 52
22. Sanbangsan Hotel
23. Bulranji Hotel

The next winter festival comes when the river freezes: January 9, the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival in Gangwon.

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Sources

• 2026 dates, programs, fees, transport: Festival committee notice, Sept 3, 2026, stage events, sea activities, special events, directions
• Last year’s visitors, fish sold, sales, sizes and auction prices: Seoul Shinmun, Dec 15, 2025
• Satisfaction survey and criticism: Gukje News, Hankyoreh 21
• Jeju Citrus Expo 2026: Financial News
• Daejeong market days: Korea Tourism Organization
• Ratings and room rates: Google Maps (Oct 27, 2026)
• Festival photos are from the festival committee’s official gallery. Photos marked KOGL Type 1 are from the Korea Tourism Organization’s PhotoKorea. Instagram posts are embedded from their authors’ public accounts; videos are embedded from their channels.