Korea Now: Seoul Events, K-pop & Local Guide | NowHitz · 11

From tool shops to cafés

The Korea Tourism Organization describes Bujeon-dong and Jeonpo-dong as an area once known for shops selling tools, hardware and industrial supplies. Small cafés began arriving after 2010, and the area became known as Café Street.

Visit Busan notes that tool shops still operate alongside cafés and restaurants.

Dates and hours

This year’s festival, themed ‘커피로 잇는 전포의 10년’ (“ten years of Jeonpo connected by coffee”), runs October 17 and 18 around Jeonpo Café Street.

According to Busanjin-gu’s official notice, hours are noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. The opening ceremony is at 4 p.m. on October 17 on a temporary stage beside Norimaru’s main gate. Sunday closes two hours earlier than Saturday.

The poster attached to the district notice gives the venue as Jeonpo Café Street around Jeonpo Norimaru, with the merchants’ associations of Jeonpo Café Street, Jeonpo Gongu-gil (tool street) and Jeonpo Saitgil cooperating. Busanjin-gu posted a 26-second promotional video on its official YouTube channel on October 7.

Overseas and market booths

Coffee and dessert vendors from Jeonpo and the wider Busan area will be joined by booths for invited baristas from Japan, Taiwan and elsewhere. Kookje Shinmun and other outlets reported that the overseas booths will feature coffee from Japan, Taiwan, Costa Rica and Ethiopia. The district notice also lists market booths.

Origins and roasts vary by booth, and no single origin or flavor is offered everywhere; each booth’s menu lists what it serves.

Classes and seminars

The Korea Tourism Organization lists hand-drip sessions, master brewing classes and barista seminars in this year’s program. Its festival page, updated September 30, also lists a coffee seminar, a ‘Coffee Golden Bell’ quiz, and hands-on booths for caricatures and hand-drip brewing classes.

As of the evening of October 15, session times, fees and sign-up methods had not been posted on official channels. The festival office can confirm times, capacity and fees.

Music and events

Busanjin-gu has announced Jeonpo Brewing Radio, Jeonpo Live Festa and a stamp tour. Kookje Shinmun also reported a Jeonpo Music Lounge and an event using receipts from local businesses.

The district notice lists a stamp tour, a ‘Black and White Barista’ event and a roulette game, and the Korea Tourism Organization page adds an auction. Participating shops and conditions for the stamp and receipt events will be posted on site.

Places nearby

Bao Haus (62-9 Seojeon-ro 38beon-gil), a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand, serves Taiwanese bao and lu rou fan and does not take reservations. Cor Pasta Bar (2F, 13 Dongseong-ro 25beon-gil), also a Bib Gourmand, serves house-made pasta at an open-kitchen counter and requires one drink per person.

Cafés featured by Visit Busan include Fruto Fruta (28 Jeonpo-daero 224beon-gil) for peach smoothies and melon shakes; Cafe Haian (62-4 Seojeon-ro 46beon-gil), known for a ‘brick cake’ cracked open with a small mallet; and Sa, Yeobaek, Chatjan (20 Seojeon-ro 67beon-gil), a café styled like an old stationery shop that serves old-fashioned patbingsu. Expect crowds and possible changes to opening hours during the festival.

Getting there and contacts

The festival covers the area around Jeonpo-daero 209beon-gil in Busanjin-gu. Visit Busan gives 26 Jeonpo-daero 209beon-gil (부산 부산진구 전포대로209번길 26) as the Café Street address, a six-minute walk from Exit 7 of Jeonpo Station on Metro Line 2.

Entry is free; drinks and desserts at booths are paid separately. The organiser, at 051-605-4522, can answer questions about class fees and booking, overseas phone numbers and cards, English or Japanese assistance, and accessibility.

As of the evening of October 15, Busanjin-gu, the Korea Tourism Organization and Visit Busan had not announced road closures, shuttle buses or a wet-weather plan. Public transport is the simplest option.

First colour on Sept 28

The KMA Gangwon Regional Office said it observed the first autumn colour on Seoraksan on September 28, 2026, four days earlier than last year and the same as normal.

KMA counts first colour when 20% of a mountain has turned, starting from the summit, and peak at 80%. Seoraksan’s normal peak is October 17; in 2025 it came on October 24.

The release did not include a 2026 peak forecast. The KMA status map shows the actual stage.

Where to check conditions

On KMA’s Weather Nuri site (www.weather.go.kr), the Current weather > Spring flowers & foliage > Famous mountains foliage status page shows photos of 21 major mountains on a map.

Photos are posted for the before, first-colour and peak stages from September 21 to November 27, 2026. Checking Seoraksan’s stage there before picking a date avoids a wasted trip.

Cable car fares and rules

The Seorak Cable Car (1085 Seoraksan-ro, Sokcho, Gangwon) climbs 1,128 m in about five minutes one way, reaching 699 m above sea level. Only round-trip tickets are sold: 16,000 won for adults (middle school and up), 12,000 won for children (37 months to elementary school) and free for those 36 months or younger. There are no group discounts, and senior and other discounts do not apply from September 19 to November 15, 2026.

Tickets are sold on the day at the ticket office, with no advance booking. There is no trail down, so riders must return by cable car, and catching the last car down leaves about 20 minutes at the top. Strong wind or bad weather can halt service, and unused tickets are fully refunded.

Strollers cannot board; free storage is available. The cable car has no parking lot, so visitors use the paid Sinheungsa lot, and smoking is banned throughout the national park. Hours vary by season and weather and are posted on the website, which is in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese. Phone: 033-636-4300.

Opening night and light show

The festival fills the Seoul Amsa-dong Prehistoric Site (875 Olympic-ro) and Amsa Historical Park under the theme 'The Beginning of Seoul, Amsa'. After sunset on all three nights, light, music and video are projected along the site trail and onto the museum’s outer wall.

The opening ceremony is on the afternoon of October 16 at the main stage, followed by a drone show and performances by Space A, Wax and Seol Un-do. Gangdong-gu said it is the only Seoul festival selected as a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism preliminary festival for 2026–2027.

Lee Se-dol talk, closing fireworks

On October 17, the Gangdong-gu arts troupe performs and Baewijeol Village’s Hosangnori, a Seoul intangible heritage, is re-enacted.

On October 18, Lee Se-dol gives a talk concert titled 'A Divine Move' at the forest stage. The main stage hosts the 'Seonsa Rock Festival' and closing performances by Shin Hyo-beom, So Chan-whee and Nam Jin, followed by fireworks.

Activities and hours

At the entrance, the Time Slip Handcrafted Market features work by emerging artists on themes from the Paleolithic and Neolithic to the future. Inside the site, 'Land of Clay' offers a Neolithic archaeology experience school, and there is a prehistoric barbecue.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (from 3 p.m. on October 16), according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Admission is free; some activities charge a fee. Inquiries: 02-3425-5247; website gdsunsa.com. The announcements did not include transit directions or foreign-language support.

Opening-day procession

The festival opens at 10:30 a.m. on October 16, when the Sato (magistrate) procession sets out from the Mapo-gu Office plaza for Pyeonghwa Plaza. A re-enactment recreates the yellow-sailed boats that once carried salted shrimp into Mapo Naru.

About 20 foreign participants join residents to make kimchi, and Jung Dong-ha, the Hong Kyung-min Band, Ali and Maya perform.

Shrimp sales and activities

Sales booths rise from 8 last year to 12, selling yukjeot, ojeot and chujeot (shrimp salted in different seasons) from Ganggyeong, Gwangcheon, Sinan, Buan and Sokcho. Mapo-gu said prices are set 10–15% below market. Shrimp catching, saeujeot making and a saeujeot auction run throughout the festival.

On October 17, 38 children help roll a 19 m shrimp gimbap to mark the 19th edition. The food market adds a shrimp booth serving shrimp pasta and shrimp fried rice, and sister cities and local co-ops run 14 specialty booths.

Bossam feast and fireworks

October 18 brings a bossam feast for about 200 people and a closing stage, ending with fireworks and a laser show. The Seoul Silver Grass Festival runs at the same time in nearby Haneul Park.

Reports did not give admission fees, opening hours or public transport details; Mapo-gu posts notices. Leaflets with an English-guide QR code will be handed out, and English leaflets will be placed at local tourist information centres. There is no separate foreign-language program this year; interpretation is under consideration from next year’s 20th festival.

GS25’s Hanjeongseon rice cake

Hanjeongseon, a chapssaltteok brand that started in Seongsu-dong, was known for its queues. On September 3, GS25 launched the frozen Hanjeongseon Yogurt Chapssaltteok (3,900 won) with the brand and dessert maker Roromello. Eaten frozen, it is like sherbet; thawed, it turns soft and chewy.

GS25 said it sold 500,000 by September 20 and 700,000 as of its October 5 announcement, topping the chain’s September delivery and pick-up sales ahead of canned beer. A pistachio version (3,900 won) reaches stores on October 15.

emart24’s iced sweet potato

In early September, emart24 released Ice Goguma Matang (3,900 won), the classic candied sweet potato made to be eaten chilled, in a standing pouch. It is marketed as crisp outside and moist inside.

emart24 said it became the top seller among all its frozen foods, ahead of frozen pizza and dumplings. Sales for September 14–20 were 35% higher than in launch week. The chain’s frozen dessert sales rose 72% from January to September 15.

Other chains

CU said sales of its hyper-realistic ice creams, shaped like carrots, triangle kimbap and potatoes, rose 107.7% from January to September. 7-Eleven’s iced dessert sales grew 86% from January 1 to September 21, and its Ohayo Brulee Milk, topped with a sugar crust, sold 350,000 in 40 days.

At GS25, sales of rice cakes and rice-cake-based products jumped 312.6% between January 1 and September 20. The industry credits chewy and crunchy textures and the fun of eating them, as well as a longer shelf life than chilled desserts.

Queues at rice-cake shops

Rice cakes are selling as desserts beyond convenience stores, too. Fruit-filled chapssaltteok and fusion seolgi such as pizza seolgi draw weekday-morning queues at Pungnyeon Tteokjip in Incheon’s Bupyeong market.

A Changeok Tteok pop-up at The Hyundai Seoul drew more than 10,000 visitors in a week, and rice-cake sales at Lotte Department Store’s main and Jamsil branches rose more than 250% in July–August from a year earlier. Analysts say many younger buyers like supporting neighbourhood rice-cake shops.

Buying tips

Stock of limited items varies by store, and they sell out quickly. GS25 took pre-orders and delivery or pick-up orders for the Hanjeongseon rice cake through its Woori Dongne GS app.

Sales figures and growth rates are each company’s own. Frozen desserts are hard to take home in luggage.

Inside the shop

The entrance traces Kakao Pay’s work with small businesses. The central Atelier displays raw ingredients instead of finished products: small, muddy carrots for a carrot-leaf tea brand and a wooden paddle heaped with sesame seeds for a sesame and perilla oil maker.

QR codes on brand cards link to online stores. The 100 brands are grouped into five themes: tradition, taste, everyday lifestyle, eco-friendly and regional makers.

The 1,000-won experience

The 1,000-won fee buys two coins. One goes into a lucky draw for discount coupons worth at least 1,000 won; the other buys Orae Hansang, a small spread of tea or coffee and snacks from the shop’s food brands, served on the outdoor Orae Square.

Proceeds from the fee and from paid shopping bags go to a fund for small businesses.

Visitor information

The shop is at 8-27 Yeonmujang 3-gil, Seongdong-gu, and is open until October 31. Pop-up guide Popga lists hours of 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Brands pay no commission. Kakao Pay said the campaign, launched in June 2023, has connected 264 brands with more than 400,000 customers. Small-batch items can sell out. Foreign card payment and English support have not been confirmed.

Shops and layout

It is the third offline pop-up from Zigzag, the platform run by Kakao Style. The first floor groups products from 39 shops into six themes: daily casual, feminine, vintage casual, street casual, modern chic and all-size.

The second floor shows autumn pieces from 11 Zigzag-exclusive shops, including Realcoco, Laroom and Edmore. There are 10 fitting rooms.

Buying and delivery

Shoppers can pay on site or scan the QR code on a tag to order through the Zigzag app. Every item at the pop-up qualifies for Jikjin Baesong, Zigzag’s next-day delivery.

The venue has a poster zone and a mirror photo spot, and a lucky-box draw uses photos taken there.

Visitor information

Kakao Style said advance reservations were sold out and that walk-ins would be admitted. Opening hours and on-site queuing were not in the announcement; the Zigzag app posts notices.

Anderson C Seongsu is a vintage furniture store at 36 Seongsuil-ro 6-gil, Seongdong-gu. Related discounts in the Zigzag app run until October 25. Foreign card payment and English support have not been confirmed.

The exhibition

The show follows a storyline in which SEVENTEEN visit a Smurf village that has lost its music and help recover the melody. Thirteen Smurf characters, each designed around one member’s personality, are placed throughout the space.

The main MELODY STAGE is surrounded by SEVENTEEN WORLD, BLUE PORTAL, SMURF VILLAGE and an MD STORE. In the village, visitors can search for all 13 hidden SEVENTEEN Smurfs.

Events and merchandise

There is a stamp mission and a social-media upload event. At HIT 17! ARCADE, named for the group’s number, visitors who stop a timer at exactly 17.00 seconds receive a prize while supplies last.

The MD store sells 40 cm plush dolls, figures and keyrings, plus T-shirts, pouches and acrylic dioramas. Organiser Muse M said visitors receive a reusable bag.

Booking and hours

Entry is booked through Naver. According to the booking page, tickets are 7,000 won per person for a visit of about 40 minutes, and children under 36 months enter free with proof of age.

Visitors with reservations still register on a QR waiting list if there is a queue. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on weekends. Early slots are less crowded on the final weekend. It has not been confirmed whether Naver booking requires a Korean phone number.

Standard contract signed

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and North Gyeongsang Province held a grape-export event at Doyeong Farm in Sangju on the afternoon of October 15. Sangju Horticultural Cooperative, representing growers, and exporter Gyeongbuk Corporation signed a standard contract specifying payment settlement and quality requirements.

The ministry said the contract is meant to reduce the uncertainty of verbal agreements. It plans to extend the contract to major grape-growing regions, and agencies will review problems at export sites weekly during the peak shipping period.

Quarantine and logistics support

The export plan covers supply, production, cold-chain logistics and overseas sales. It calls for securing 12,000 tonnes in advance through an integrated export organization and increasing designated production areas for US-bound quarantine checks from 31 to 41.

The plan allocates 8.09 billion won for production infrastructure and 6.06 billion won for cold-chain and logistics costs. Quarantine services will also run on weekends and public holidays during the October–December peak.

US$112.5 million target

The ministry’s strategy document sets a 2026 grape-export target of US$112.5 million. Provisional exports through September totalled US$56.3 million, about half the annual goal. The “US$100 million era” promoted at the event is a target for this year, not a result already achieved.

The ministry expects higher exports to ease concentrated domestic supply and downward pressure on prices. The effect on prices paid to farmers is not yet known. The event also included demonstrations of checks on Shine Muscat grapes for sweetness and weight.

What the ritual is

Saengjeon means “during one’s lifetime.” The Korea Heritage Agency describes Saengjeon Yesujae as a Buddhist ritual in which living people pray for rebirth in the Pure Land after death.

This year’s public program is the hoeyang, the conclusion of a 49-day period of prayer. The two days open to the public are the final part of that observance.

Order of the two days

The first day includes the opening Sinjung Jakbeop rites, the procession of a large hanging Buddhist painting and a ritual tablet, preparation of the ritual space, a Buddhist ceremony and a joint recitation of the Diamond Sutra.

The second day moves through rites at the middle, lower and spirit altars and ends with the closing send-off. The two days follow different sequences rather than repeating one program. The photograph is an archival image from a past ceremony supplied by the Korea Heritage Agency, not from this year’s event.

Visitor information

The public ceremony runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on October 18 and 19, 2026, on the temple grounds. The official listing says on-site viewing is free. The address is 531 Bongeunsa-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul; inquiries: 02-3218-4975.

The listing covers viewing only; it does not include participation in the rites, seating or foreign-language interpretation. Visitors should keep clear of the ceremony and worshippers.

How the rods were laid out

Sangaji, also called sanmok, are slender rods made from bamboo, wood or other materials. The same rod could stand for different numbers depending on where and in which direction it was placed.

According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, rods for the units, hundreds and ten-thousands were placed vertically, and those for the tens, thousands and hundred-thousands horizontally. The orientations were sometimes reversed, so the convention was not fixed.

The encyclopedia says rods were the basic method of calculation in Korean mathematics until the end of the Joseon period. The rods in the photograph carry no numerals; the value came from the rules for arranging them.

A Joseon-period abacus

National Museum of Korea collection item Sinsu1113 includes a Joseon-period abacus. The museum says the tool, also called sanban, was used for commercial and other calculations. Where counting rods are laid out loose, an abacus holds bead-threaded rods inside a wooden frame.

Beads above and below the central crossbar carry different values: an upper bead represents five and a lower bead one. Bead counts vary between designs; this one has two beads above the bar and five below on each rod.

Bead positions

The front view shows the frame, the crossbar and the rows of beads. In the angled photograph, some beads have been pushed toward the crossbar, showing how the same object changes a number.

The counting-rod photograph shows the sticks with their storage pouch. Unlike a sheet that records only an answer, both tools preserve the hand movements of calculation.

Rods as a game

Counting rods were also used for play. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture describes games such as removing one rod from a scattered pile without disturbing the others.

Calculation followed the agreed arrangement of the rods; the game required keeping the surrounding rods still.