Mukbang YouTuber Tzuyang, who has 13 million subscribers, is bringing back Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province's famed "red odeng," which drew buzz when she ate 56 skewers in one sitting, as the star of a festival. Tzuyang also visited Jecheon in September last year to eat red odeng.
Jecheon city said on the 4th it will hold the "2nd Jecheon Red Odeng Festival" at Jecheon Station Plaza from the 28th to March 2.
Eomuk is a representative winter snack. It is cheaper than other street foods and can be served with warm broth, making it perfect for cold weather. One bowl quickly thaws a frozen body. In most regions, eomuk is mainly eaten as "mul-eomuk," soaked in broth, but in Jecheon, it is joined by "red eomuk," grilled and brushed with spicy red sauce.
Jecheon city claims to be the "originator" of red eomuk. It says it began being sold at food stalls near Jecheon Jungang Market in the 1980s and spread nationwide. On that basis, the city registered the "Jecheon Red Odeng" trademark with the Korean Intellectual Property Office in 2021 and has held a namesake festival since last year.
This year's festival will set up about 25 stalls around Jecheon Station Plaza, creating a retro-style pojangmacha street. Alongside red eomuk, it will feature street foods such as tteokbokki and various desserts. It will operate daily from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. during the event.
Jecheon city also focused on "standardizing taste" at this year's festival. To reduce flavor variations raised at last year's event, it held a pre-festival tasting and, last month, brought stall operators together to share recipes and operational know-how.
The opening ceremony will be held on the 28th. The girl group N-Day will take the stage to heat up the festival atmosphere. N-Day centers on Bada, who debuted in 2015 as the leader of the girl group Baby Boo. There will also be trot performances and an acoustic band stage.
On the opening day and on March 1, a "food fighter challenge" will be held. It is a contest to see who can eat more eomuk within a time limit. Ten participants compete each day, and the winner receives a resort or pension stay voucher. Visitor participation programs such as making dalgona and making eomuk are also prepared.
There are plenty of places to try red eomuk outside the festival grounds. Around Jecheon Jungang Market, Naeto Traditional Market, and Dongmun Market, several shops display signs for "red odeng." Near Jungang Market, old long-running shops remain, while around Naeto Traditional Market, places that gained word-of-mouth among visitors are clustered.
While the shapes and cooking methods are similar from shop to shop, the sauce flavors vary. Some are spicy, while others are relatively mild. The fun of choosing according to taste is another charm of Jecheon's red eomuk.