Korea's flagship consumer festival, "Korea Grand Festival," will run from Oct. 29 to Nov. 15. It aims to boost domestic consumption through large-scale discount events across a variety of categories including automobiles, home appliances and clothing, the distribution of lodging coupons outside the capital region, and programs linked with regional festivals.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups on the 3rd discussed and announced the "2026 Korea Grand Festival promotion plan" at a joint meeting of the Emergency Economic Headquarters and the ministers in charge of economic affairs.
Korea Grand Festival is promoted as the nation's flagship consumer event with the participation of domestic manufacturers, online and offline retail platforms, the central government and local governments. This year, it plans the largest-ever discount campaign focused on items closely tied to people's daily lives, such as automobiles, home appliances, clothing, processed foods and daily necessities.
Discount events for agricultural, livestock and fishery products will also expand. In time for kimchi-making season, major retailers will participate at the largest scale ever to sell agricultural and livestock products such as napa cabbage, radishes and pork, and key seafood items such as mackerel, hairtail and dried laver at discounts of up to 50%.
Support to spur regional consumption will also be strengthened. It will distribute 70,000 lodging coupons outside the capital region and provide an additional 30,000 coupons for consecutive-night stays and lodging on islands to boost island tourism, offering a total of 100,000 lodging benefits. Consumption-promotion events tied to local festivals nationwide will also be pursued to encourage tourists to spend in the regions.
Events targeting inbound foreign visitors will be arranged as well. The festival will be promoted through welcome events at airports to encourage regional visits, and 26 duty-free shops nationwide will offer discounts of up to 50%.
Support for traditional markets and small business owners is also included. During the festival, the discount rate for digital Onnuri gift certificates will be raised to 10% from the current 7% for certain periods, and a "mutual growth consumption lottery" event will be run for users. In particular, separate first-prize chances will be offered to users in provincial areas, and double the number of entries will be given to spur regional spending.
In addition, it will newly recruit "Companion Stores," in which small and micro businesses participate voluntarily, and select 100 outstanding small and micro businesses with global competitiveness in beauty, fashion and food to run the "Kogpe 100" online special exhibition.
The opening ceremony will be held as a large-scale event linked to a K-pop concert to raise public interest and spread a spending-friendly mood.