At a glance
| Dates | Expected Oct/Nov 2027Late October 2027, probably three days from a Friday to a Sunday on the final weekend of the Yeoncheon Chrysanthemum Festival, as in 2024, 2025 and 2026; nothing announced as of 18 October 2026. |
|---|---|
| Next edition | 2027: Late October 2027, probably three days from a Friday to a Sunday on the final weekend of the Yeoncheon Chrysanthemum Festival, as in 2024, 2025 and 2026; nothing announced as of 18 October 2026. |
| Admission | Free (KTO and ministry listings, 2026). The Yeoncheon Chrysanthemum Festival on the same grounds charges ₩5,000 (₩3,000 reduced), refunded in full as Yeoncheon Love gift certificates; whether the market area lies inside its ticketed zone was not stated.Admission: Free (2026 prices) |
| Venue | Jeongok-ri Prehistoric Site경기도 연천군 전곡읍 전곡리 515 |
| Nearest station | Jeongok Station (전곡역), Seoul Subway Line 1 (Gyeongwon Line)No official walking time found. Buses leave from the Nonghyup junction in front of the station; the 전곡리선사유적지입구 stop is about 160 m from KTO's map point, and buses 39, 39-2, 53-5 and 53-6 stop at the Jeongok Prehistory Museum, 5 minutes' walk away. |
| From Seoul | Not published · Subway + BusLeave from Central Seoul · Back to Seoul the same nightFull route · Festivals by travel time from Seoul |
| Organizer | Yeoncheon County (run by the Yeoncheon Yulmu Festival Promotion Committee)연천군 (주관: 연천율무축제 추진위원회) |
| Usual timing | Three days, Friday to Sunday, usually in late October on the final weekend of the Yeoncheon Chrysanthemum Festival at the same site: 28–30 Oct 2022, 25–27 Oct 2024, 24–26 Oct 2025 and 23–25 Oct 2026. The 2023 edition was announced for 10–12 November. Browse October / November festivals. |
| First held | 2022 |
| Last checked | 22 October 2026Checked against 20 sources · See sources |
What it is like
Yulmu, called Job's tears in English, is a grain crop, and Yeoncheon County in the far north of Gyeonggi-do grows about 60% of Korea's supply, according to the county governor. Each autumn the county sets up a three-day market around the crop on the open grounds of the Jeongok-ri Prehistoric Site, the Paleolithic site in Jeongok-eup. The event's second title, the big farm-produce market (농특산물 큰장터), describes it well. In 2025 more than 100 local farms and producer groups ran over 200 sales booths, selling yulmu tea, lattes, rice cakes and cosmetics next to Yeoncheon apples, the county's Yeonjin rice and other local food, with free tastings of tofu made from local yulmu and soybeans.
The 2026 edition, the 5th, runs from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October, 10:00–17:00, and entry is free. KTO's listing gives the programme: yulmu promotion and tasting, yulmu face painting and other hands-on activities, sales of yulmu cosmetics and processed foods, a direct-sale market for local produce and a food market, and on stage a singing contest, guest singers, local performances and an open stage for visitors. Past editions have also had a yulmu kimchi-making session, a mobile-app treasure hunt around the Paleolithic site and an evening drone show (2024), and a village tavern and receipt prize draws (2025).
The market falls on the last three days of the Yeoncheon Chrysanthemum Festival, which fills the same grounds from 16 to 25 October 2026, 09:00–18:00. That festival charges ₩5,000 and refunds it as Yeoncheon Love gift certificates. Whether the market area lies inside its ticketed zone, and whether the certificates can be spent at the yulmu booths, was not stated.
The festival has grown each year: about 140,000 visitors and ₩1.004 billion in sales in 2024, then about 150,000 visitors and ₩1.098 billion in 2025. The honest caveats: it is a farmers' market with a stage, not a sightseeing spectacle; information is in Korean only; in 2025 rain damaged the lawn and there were too few portable toilets, and the county said it would consider a new venue, although the 2026 listings still name the Jeongok-ri site; and off-peak trains to Jeongok ran only about once an hour when the line opened.
Highlights
- A yulmu (Job's tears) market selling yulmu tea, lattes, rice cakes, cosmetics and other products, with tastings of tofu made from local yulmu and soybeans (2025)
- More than 200 farm-produce booths from over 100 Yeoncheon farms and groups, including Yeoncheon apples and the county's Yeonjin rice (2025)
- Free entry, 10:00–17:00, Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026
- Hands-on yulmu activities such as face painting, plus a singing contest, guest singers, local performances and an open stage (2026 programme)
- Same grounds and same weekend as the last three days of the Yeoncheon Chrysanthemum Festival (16–25 October 2026)
- On Seoul Subway Line 1: Jeongok Station, then a short bus or taxi ride to the Jeongok-ri site
Who it suits. Best for food shoppers, families and anyone already going to the Yeoncheon Chrysanthemum Festival who wants to taste and buy local farm produce; less suited to travellers looking for a sightseeing spectacle, English-language programmes or a quick trip, since it is mainly a farmers' market and trains to Jeongok are infrequent.
Getting there
From Seoul
Seoul Subway Line 1 to Jeongok Station (전곡역): take a train bound for Yeoncheon (연천) on the northern branch through Cheongnyangni, Uijeongbu and Dongducheon. When the extension opened in December 2023, Yeoncheon trains ran about once an hour (every 30 minutes at rush hour), and some started at Gwangwoondae, where riders from central Seoul change from a Dongducheon- or Uijeongbu-bound train. Yongsan to Yeoncheon, one stop beyond Jeongok, took about 106 minutes. From Jeongok Station take a local bus from the Nonghyup junction in front of the station, or a taxi, to the Jeongok-ri site.
From Incheon Airport
AREX to Seoul Station, then Seoul Subway Line 1 on a train bound for Yeoncheon to Jeongok Station, and a local bus or taxi to the site.
Last leg from Jeongok Station
Seoul Subway Line 1 (Gyeongwon Line). No official walking time found. Buses leave from the Nonghyup junction in front of the station; the 전곡리선사유적지입구 stop is about 160 m from KTO's map point, and buses 39, 39-2, 53-5 and 53-6 stop at the Jeongok Prehistory Museum, 5 minutes' walk away.
Festival shuttle
No festival shuttle bus was found for 2026. The promotion committee said in July 2026 that it was reviewing traffic, parking and safety; no plan was published on the pages opened.
Getting home
The market closes at 17:00 (the chrysanthemum displays at 18:00). Return times from Jeongok on 23–25 October were not confirmed, and Yeoncheon-bound Line 1 trains have run only about once an hour off-peak, so check the next southbound train in the Korail app (코레일톡) or at Jeongok Station before you leave the site. Soyosan-bound trains ran about every 30 minutes, and local buses link Jeongok with Soyosan and Dongducheon stations if no through train is due.
Parking
The Jeongok-ri site has a large free car park to the right of the entrance (third-party travel listing); no 2026 festival parking plan was published on the pages opened.
How to switch Naver Map and Kakao Map to English
Google Maps shows train, subway and bus routes in Korea but not walking or driving directions yet, so for the walk from the station Naver Map or Kakao Map is more reliable.
Before you go
1330 · Travel hotline
The Korea Tourism Organization’s helpline answers in English, Japanese and Chinese around the clock, and in several other languages from 08:00 to 19:00. Dial 1330 from a Korean phone, or +82-2-1330 from a phone registered abroad.
112 / 119 · Emergencies
112 for police, 119 for fire and ambulance. Both are free from any phone. Police on 112 can add an English or Chinese interpreter to the call.
T-money card
Buy one at a convenience store such as GS25, CU or 7-Eleven and top it up there with cash. It pays for subways and buses in most cities, and for most taxis.
Maps
Use Naver Map or Kakao Map for walking and bus directions; Google Maps does not yet give walking directions in Korea. Both apps can be switched to English. Naver Map: Menu (≡) → Settings → Language (Japanese and Chinese also available). Kakao Map: Menu (≡) → Settings → App settings → Language. If the option is missing, change your phone’s language and reopen the app. Small shop names and some reviews stay in Korean.
Trains and buses
Book trains on Korail’s English site and express buses on Kobus. Holiday weekends sell out first.
Checked 18 October 2026.
Tickets, prices and practical details
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Admission | Free | Free per the KTO and ministry listings |
- Booking
- No booking needed; no advance registration was found for the market or its hands-on activities.
- English on site
- No English-language festival information was found; the KTO and ministry listings are in Korean.
- Crowds
- Busy: about 150,000 visitors over the three days in 2025 and about 140,000 in 2024, on a weekend when the chrysanthemum festival also draws people to the same grounds.
- Best time to go
- Arrive soon after the 10:00 opening for the widest choice at the produce stalls, and leave time for the chrysanthemum displays (09:00–18:00) on the same grounds.
- What to bring
- A sturdy shopping bag or cool bag for produce, and the return train time from Jeongok noted before you set off. In 2024 purchases could be sent home by parcel delivery from the site.
- Toilets
- In 2025 the county admitted there were too few portable toilets; provision for 2026 was not published.
- Step-free access
- Strollers and wheelchairs could be borrowed on site in 2024; 2026 services were not published.
Editions
| Year | Dates | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Late October 2027, probably three days from a Friday to a Sunday on the final weekend of the Yeoncheon Chrysanthemum Festival, as in 2024, 2025 and 2026; nothing announced as of 18 October 2026. | expected | |
| 2026 | 23–25 Oct 2026 | ended | KTO lists the Jeongok-ri Prehistoric Site (전곡리 515). After the 2025 edition the county said it would look at a new venue because rain had damaged the lawn; the 2026 listings still give the Jeongok-ri site. |
| 2025 | 24–26 Oct 2025 | ended | Around the Jeongok-ri site. Rain damaged the lawn before the festival, and portable toilets and electrical capacity fell short. |
| 2024 | 25–27 Oct 2024 | ended | Jeongok-ri Prehistoric Site, alongside the chrysanthemum festival (18–27 Oct 2024) |
| 2023 | 10–12 Nov 2023 | ended | Jeongok-ri site |
| 2022 | 28–30 Oct 2022 | ended | Around the Jeongok-ri Paleolithic site |
Nearby
- Yeoncheon Chrysanthemum Festival (연천 국화축제) — Same grounds. Ten-day chrysanthemum show on the same grounds, 16–25 October 2026, 09:00–18:00; ₩5,000, refunded as Yeoncheon Love gift certificates.
- Jeongok-ri site soil layers (전곡리 유적 토층) — About 18 m from KTO's map point. Exposed soil layers of the Paleolithic site, listed as part of the Hantangang UNESCO Global Geopark.
- Jeongok Prehistory Museum (전곡선사박물관) — About 5 minutes on foot from its bus stop. Museum of the Paleolithic finds from Jeongok-ri, at Pyeonghwa-ro 443beon-gil 2; its bus stop is about a 5-minute walk from the festival site.
- Hantangang Tourist Site (한탄강관광지) — One bus stop. Free riverside park on the Hantan River with caravans, cabins and car camping, one bus stop from the site entrance.
Questions travelers ask
When is the Yeoncheon Job's Tears Festival 2026?
Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026, 10:00–17:00, at the Jeongok-ri Prehistoric Site in Jeongok-eup, Yeoncheon. It is the 5th edition.
Is it free?
Yes. The KTO and ministry listings give free admission. The Yeoncheon Chrysanthemum Festival on the same grounds (16–25 October 2026) charges ₩5,000, refunded as Yeoncheon Love gift certificates; whether you need that ticket to reach the market was not stated on the pages we checked.
What is yulmu?
Yulmu is Job's tears, a grain crop. Yeoncheon grows about 60% of Korea's supply, according to the county governor. At the festival it is sold in products such as tea, lattes, rice cakes and cosmetics, and tofu made with local yulmu has been offered for tasting.
How do I get there from Seoul by public transport?
Take Seoul Subway Line 1 on a train bound for Yeoncheon and get off at Jeongok, one stop before the end of the line. When the extension opened in December 2023, these trains ran about once an hour off-peak, and Yongsan to Yeoncheon took about 106 minutes. From Jeongok Station take a local bus from the junction in front of the station, or a taxi, to the Jeongok-ri site.
Can I combine it with the chrysanthemum festival?
Yes. The market falls on the last three days of the Yeoncheon Chrysanthemum Festival (16–25 October 2026, 09:00–18:00) at the same site, as it did in 2024 and 2025. Expect crowds: about 150,000 people came to the market over three days in 2025.
Is it held every year?
Yes, since at least 2022: 28–30 October 2022, 10–12 November 2023 (as announced in advance), 25–27 October 2024 and 24–26 October 2025. The 2027 dates have not been announced.
Sources and verification
Facts checked
22 October 2026, against the sources listed below.
This page is desk research from the sources below, not a firsthand report of the 2027 edition. Confidence in the current facts: medium.
- KTO TourAPI listing 연천율무축제 (contentId 2591661)kto — 2026 dates 23–25 Oct, hours 10:00–17:00, free admission, venue 연천 전곡리 선사유적지, address 전곡읍 전곡리 515, coordinates, host Yeoncheon County, phone 031-839-2314, homepage; overview: yulmu and local food, produce sales, farming-culture experiences, exhibitions, performances
- Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism — festival listing: 연천율무축제ministry — 2026 dates 23–25 Oct, 10:00–17:00, venue 연천 전곡리 선사유적지, free admission, host Yeoncheon County, contact 031-839-2314, programme outline; rechecked 22 Oct 2026: unchanged, no cancellation notice, no session times, shuttle or parking
- ktriptips (KTO data mirror) — 연천율무축제 (contentId 2591661)kto — 주최 연천군, 주관 연천율무축제 추진위원회; 2026 programme: yulmu promotion and experiences, face painting, cosmetics and processed foods, produce market, food market, singing contest, guest singers, local performances, open stage; 전곡리 유적 토층 (Hantangang UNESCO Global Geopark) 18 m; listing modified 15 Oct 2026, rechecked 19 Oct 2026: 23–25 Oct, 10:00–17:00, free, 전곡리 515 unchanged, no shuttle or parking details
- Korea Charts — KTO data page for 연천율무축제 (contentId 2591661)other — 23–25 Oct 2026, Friday to Sunday, 10:00–17:00, free; bus stops 전곡리선사유적지입구 160 m, 전곡리선사유적지 171 m, 한탄강유원지 289 m from the listing; route 101 to Jeongok Station
- Gyeonggi Shinmun — Yeoncheon holds 5th Yulmu Festival promotion committee meeting (22 Jul 2026)news — 5th Yeoncheon Yulmu Festival; committee meeting 22 Jul 2026 on programme, sales booths, promotion, traffic, parking and on-site safety
- Herald Economy — 4th Yeoncheon Yulmu Festival results (30 Oct 2025)news — 4th festival 24–26 Oct 2025 at the Jeongok-ri site; theme; about 150,000 visitors (140,000 in 2024); 200+ booths, 100+ farms and groups; sales ₩1.098 bn vs ₩1.004 bn (up 9.4%); products, tofu tasting, halls, tavern, draws; lawn damage, toilet and power shortages; new venue considered
- Twig24 — Yeoncheon Yulmu Festival at the Jeongok prehistoric site, 25–27 Oct (25 Oct 2024)news — 3rd festival 25–27 Oct 2024 at the Jeongok-ri site; treasure hunt, drone show, yulmu kimchi making, processed-product exhibition, Yeonjin rice booth; YouTuber with 3 million subscribers; 100+ farms and groups; parcel delivery with porters; stroller and wheelchair rental
- Kyeonggi Ilbo — Yulmu Festival runs 'Paleolithic treasure hunt' (24 Oct 2024)news — Mobile-app Paleolithic Treasure Hunt on 26 Oct 2024 with quizzes and local-produce prizes; evening live show and drone show; held with the chrysanthemum festival at the Jeongok-ri site
- Kyeonggi Ilbo — 2024 연천국화축제 (19 Sep 2024)news — 2024 chrysanthemum festival 18–27 Oct at the Jeongok-ri site; Yulmu Festival 25–27 Oct
- Kyeongin Ilbo — Jeongok-ri site dressed in chrysanthemums (3 Oct 2025)news — 2025 chrysanthemum festival 17–26 Oct; Yulmu festival 24–26 Oct at the same site
- News Seoul — Yeoncheon Yulmu Festival at the Jeongok-ri site from the 28th (20 Oct 2022)news — Festival 28–30 Oct 2022 around the Jeongok-ri site; theme; produce display and sale, food court, yulmu tofu tasting; Yeoncheon about 60% of Korea's yulmu cultivation and supply, per the county governor
- News Seoul — Yeoncheon's festivals of nature and history (24 Aug 2023)news — 2023 Yulmu Festival (farm-produce big market) 10–12 Nov at the Jeongok-ri site; chrysanthemum exhibition 14–29 Oct 2023
- KTO TourAPI listing 연천 국화축제 (contentId 2870929)kto — Chrysanthemum Festival 16–25 Oct 2026, 09:00–18:00, paid entry refunded as Yeoncheon Love gift certificates, at the Jeongok-ri site
- Popga — 2026 연천 국화축제 listingother — Chrysanthemum Festival 2026 fees ₩5,000 and ₩3,000 reduced; gift certificates usable at the farm-produce market and food stalls; 10-day run 16–25 Oct
- Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism — festival listing: 연천 국화축제 (8th edition)ministry — Yeoncheon Chrysanthemum Festival 2026, 8th edition: 16–25 Oct, 09:00–18:00, venue 연천 전곡리 유적, paid entry refunded as Yeoncheon Love gift certificates; host Yeoncheon County, run by the Agricultural Technology Center, 031-839-4259; no shuttle or parking details
- Seoul Media Hub — Line 1 now runs to Yeoncheon (Dec 2023)municipal — Yeoncheon-bound trains about once an hour, every 30 minutes at rush hour; Soyosan-bound trains about every 30 minutes; some Yeoncheon trains start at Gwangwoondae; Yongsan–Yeoncheon about 106 minutes; weekend City Hall departures, last 22:36, none in the 13:00, 17:00 and 18:00 hours
- Seoul Media Hub — by subway to Yeoncheon: Jeongok-ri site to Hantangang Tourist Sitemunicipal — Jeongok Station on Line 1; buses from the Nonghyup junction in front of the station; buses linking Jeongok with Soyosan and Dongducheon stations; Hantangang Tourist Site one bus stop from the site entrance, free, caravans, cabins and car camping; Jeongok Prehistory Museum at 평화로443번길 2
- Kyeonggi Ilbo — Line 1 extension to Yeoncheon opens (16 Dec 2023)news — Line 1 Dongducheon–Yeoncheon extension in service from 16 Dec 2023 with stations Soyosan, Cheongsan, Jeongok and Yeoncheon
- Wikitree — by Line 1 to the Jeongok-ri Paleolithic Festival (2026)news — Buses 39, 39-2, 53-5 and 53-6 stop at the Jeongok Prehistory Museum stop, 5 minutes on foot from the site
- mom-mom.net — 연천전곡리유적 travel listingother — Large free car park to the right of the site entrance; 2026 Yulmu Festival listed 23–25 Oct
What we could not confirm
- No county notice or 2026 news report giving the dates was opened; the 23–25 Oct 2026 dates and 10:00–17:00 hours come from the KTO and ministry listings (KTO listing modified 15 Oct 2026 and unchanged when rechecked on 19 Oct; a KTO data mirror labels the hours as performance times). The county homepage was not opened.
- firstHeld 2022 is inferred from the edition numbers (3rd in 2024, 4th in 2025); a farm-produce market may have run under another name before 2022.
- Whether market visitors need the Chrysanthemum Festival ticket (₩5,000), and whether the Yeoncheon Love gift certificates from that ticket can be spent at Yulmu Festival booths.
- After 2025 the county said it would consider a new venue; the 2026 listings, including KTO’s (modified 15 Oct 2026) and the ministry’s chrysanthemum-festival listing, still name the Jeongok-ri site, but no 2026 site map was found.
- Stage times, shuttle buses, the parking plan and toilet provision for 2026 were not published on the pages opened.
- Current Line 1 train times from Jeongok back to Seoul on 23–25 Oct 2026 and the walking time from Jeongok Station; the December 2023 clock times were removed from the page on 22 Oct 2026, and the frequency figures are still from December 2023.
- Whether stalls take foreign cards or only cash and Korean payment apps.
- Japanese and Chinese names were not found on KTO foreign-language pages.
- Rain policy and pet rules were not published.
Changes: 2026-10-18 — Added to the site: fact-first record (dates, hours, prices, getting there, sources). · 2026-10-19 — Rechecked before the 2026 edition: no changes found. · 2026-10-19 — Added a Wikimedia Commons photograph of the Jeongok-ri Prehistoric Site, the venue (Aspere, CC0). · 2026-10-22 — Rechecked before the 2026 edition: dates, hours, venue and free entry unchanged; removed the December 2023 Line 1 clock times (including a 22:36 last train), which could not be confirmed for the festival dates, and added advice to check the next train in the Korail app.
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