South Korea’s main dried persimmon (gotgam) producing regions are hosting winter festivals celebrating the seasonal sweet. Gyeongnam Ham-an holds its 15th Ham-an Gotgam Festival (Jan 23–25) showcasing seedless high-sugar ‘Susi’ persimmons from breezy Yeohangsan, with events like persimmon-wrapped rice cake (gotgam-mari-tteok) sharing, persimmon auctions, woodworking crafts, and direct sales from 21 farms. Gyeongbuk Sangju opens the 2026 Sangju Gotgam Festival (Jan 23–25) with a historic “royal gift” reenactment, large discount promotions, master persimmon makers’ stories, cooking shows of unique desserts, family attractions like ice sledding and kite flying, and evening “persimmon light” photo zones. Chungbuk Yeongdong runs the 2026 Yeongdong Gotgam Festival (Jan 30–Feb 1) as an experience-focused event with expanded tasting and direct-sale booths, market-linked activities, roasted chestnut and sweet potato areas, ice-fishing for smelt, transparent dome photo spots, and a fireworks opening night. Gotgam (dried persimmon) is a traditional Korean winter snack high in vitamins A and C and long valued as a natural health food.
