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Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea | From a Paleolithic Festival to a Bold Vision of 10 Million Annual Living Visitors

Hello, this is Jiro!


Today, we’d like to introduce Yeoncheon, a region in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.

Located just outside the Seoul metropolitan area, Yeoncheon is a place with a unique character—one where the legacy of the Paleolithic era still lives on today.


In Yeoncheon, an ambitious initiative has recently begun, aiming to attract 10 million annual “living population” visits.


One key part of this effort is the Yeoncheon Paleolithic Festival, held every year in celebration of the region’s rich prehistoric heritage.

Built around a fully realized Paleolithic theme, the festival offers an immersive experience that draws large crowds and plays a meaningful role in boosting Yeoncheon’s living population.

The Yeoncheon Paleolithic FestivalThe Yeoncheon Paleolithic Festival
Jiro visited the Paleolithic Festival in person.

Based on what we saw with our own eyes and experienced firsthand at the festival,
we organized a set of ideas aimed at further expanding Yeoncheon’s living population
and held an exchange of views with officials from the Yeoncheon County Office.

Today, we’d like to share that story with you.
Yeoncheon Station
After a gentle ride on Line 1, we arrived at Yeoncheon Station,
Yeoncheon Station Tourist Information Center
Housed in a space that preserves the charm of the old station building,
the Yeoncheon Station Tourist Information Center offers visitors a warm and welcoming first stop.


original goods that capture the spirit of the region
Inside the space, filled with a gentle sense of nostalgia,
you’ll find Yeoncheon’s official character, along with…
original goods that capture the spirit of the region
Shelves are filled with original goods that capture the spirit of the region.
It’s a place where the essence of Yeoncheon comes through naturally, without trying too hard.
A photo of Jiro members taken from a slightly unique angle
(A photo of Jiro members taken from a slightly unique angle)


Somunnan Dakgalbi & Budae Jjigae

For lunch, we stopped by Somunnan Dakgalbi & Budae Jjigae, a popular local favorite just steps away from Yeoncheon Station.


Somunnan Dakgalbi & Budae Jjigae

4 Yeoncheon Station-ro, Yeoncheon-eup, Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi Province

Yeoncheon-grown Job’s tears, available for purchase
(Yeoncheon-grown Job’s tears, available for purchase)

The set meal also came with kamameshi made using Yeoncheon’s local specialty, Job’s tears.
Inside the restaurant, visitors could even purchase Job’s tears grown right here in Yeoncheon.

We also learned that the Yeoncheon Job’s Tears Festival is scheduled for October—
a thoughtful continuation of Yeoncheon’s identity as a town closely tied to this local crop.
Photo courtesy of the Yeoncheon Newspaper

(Photo courtesy of the Yeoncheon Newspaper)



Yeoncheon Newspaper
In between bites, we took a short break, flipping through the Yeoncheon Newspaper.

get ready for our presentation
Afterwards, we stopped by CARASOL, a café across from the county office, to get ready for our presentation.

CARASOL
217 Yeoncheon-ro, Yeoncheon-eup, Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi Province
Yeoncheon County Office
Yeoncheon County Office

discuss ways to expand the living population
This time, Jiro met with the Head of the Tourism Promotion Team and officials responsible for population policy at the Yeoncheon County Office to discuss ways to expand the living population, using the Paleolithic Festival as a starting point.

From our side, we suggested programs that would take the festival beyond a simple day trip and encourage visitors to stay overnight.
Given Yeoncheon County’s relatively low share of overnight visitors, we had in-depth discussions on ideas and possibilities for extending visitors’ time in the region.

Drawing on our own experiences as festival attendees, we also shared detailed suggestions for improvement—covering visitor flow, on-site experiences, and the way information is communicated.

We were warmly welcomed throughout, making the meeting both insightful and deeply meaningful.
We would like to sincerely thank everyone who generously shared their time with us despite their busy schedules.
Souvenirs from Yeoncheon County
Souvenirs from Yeoncheon County
Souvenirs from Yeoncheon County
Souvenirs from Yeoncheon County

Thank you once again for the thoughtful gifts.
We’ll be putting the mug, USB drive, and Yeoncheon rice to good use and will treasure them all.

This visit marks the beginning of Jiro’s continued exchange and collaboration with Yeoncheon County.
We truly hope to see Yeoncheon grow into a region that proudly welcomes 10 million annual living population visits,
emerging as a new center for meaningful and sustainable regional revitalization.

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Location: Yeoncheon

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