Chicken dishes give wings to Chuncheon tourism, fuel local economy

Chuncheon, Gangwon Province is using dakgalbi and other chicken dishes to draw tourists and support local businesses. The city and KORAIL Tourism Development have launched a limited October package that combines meals, liquor experiences and sightseeing stops. Reservations were fully booked a day after sales opened. The ministry plans to transfer operating rights to Chuncheon city after the trial runs.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced the K-Chicken Belt in June, listing 552 restaurants and venues in 30 cities known for chicken dishes.

Chuncheon and KORAIL Tourism Development launched the package through KORAILs tourism package online sale platform for October sales.

The package includes one-day and two-day programs on Oct. 16, Oct. 23-24 and Oct. 30-31, each for a limited number of participants.

Reservations were fully booked as of Friday, one day after sales opened on the KORAIL website.

Gumi in North Gyeongsang Province, Suwon in Gyeonggi Province and Jeju Island are also preparing similar tourism programs.

Published Sep 11, 2026 3:14 pm KST

K-Chicken Belt bets on city's famed gastronomy

Patrons at Jangho Dakgalbi in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, enjoy grilled barbecue chicken, Friday. Courtesy of KORAIL Tourism Development

CHUNCHEON, Gangwon Province — Famous for its stir-fried and grilled chicken dish, known in Korean as dakgalbi, Chuncheon has long drawn visitors from across the country to its local eateries. The city is now putting that culinary appeal at the center of the government’s fledgling initiative to revitalize domestic tourism by linking local food with popular tourist attractions.

In June, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced "K-Chicken Belt," a vetted list of 552 restaurants and venues in 30 cities known for chicken dishes. As the city representing dakgalbi in the program, Chuncheon and KORAIL Tourism Development have jointly launched a tourism package featuring the city’s famed foods, traditional liquors, sightseeing destinations and local experience spots. The Korea Food Promotion Institute under the ministry is organizing the program.

The package, available for a limited period in October through KORAIL's tourism package online sale platform, includes meals of dakgalbi, grilled barbecue chicken, makguksu (buckwheat noodles), fine-dining restaurants and a pub dedicated to dishes using natural ingredients grown in Chuncheon and surrounding Gangwon Province. Tours to traditional liquor breweries, Samaksan Mountain Lake Cable Car and the National Center for Forest Activities are also part of the program.

The package offers a one-day program on Oct. 16 and two-day programs on Oct. 23-24 and Oct. 30-31, each for a limited number of participants. Reservations were fully booked as of Friday, just one day after sales opened on the KORAIL website. After the trial programs are completed, the ministry plans to transfer the operating rights to the Chuncheon city government so the package can be developed into a local tourism business.

A sojugori distills Hwajeonilchwi soju at Jisiul Brewery in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Thursday. Courtesy of KORAIL Tourism Development

Since the launch of the K-Chicken Belt, Chuncheon has moved faster than other regions famous for chicken dishes to develop a tourism package built around its local gastronomy. Gumi in North Gyeongsang Province, Suwon in Gyeonggi Province and Jeju Island have also begun preparing similar tourism programs featuring their own local specialties, but those initiatives are still under development.

“K-Chicken Belt was originally planned to be launched in 2032. But after confirming that Korean chicken was the de facto No.1 Korean food among foreigners' must-eat list in a survey last year, we realized the project’s significance and decided to launch it early,” the ministry said, referring to a survey jointly conducted by the ministry and the food promotion institute.

“Gastronomy is one of the proven indicators of any advanced nation. Nowadays, consumers willingly open their wallets for worthy experiences and original foods are one of their targets. The authentic and original tastes of Chuncheon are definitely something to meet those expectations,” said Lee Gyu-min, president of the institute.

Participants in the Chuncheon gastronomic package can sample traditional rice wines, liqueurs and distilled spirits at Jisiul Brewery. CEO Yoo So-young learned traditional brewing from Park Rok-dam, president of the Korea Traditional Liquor Research Institute, who became famous for teaching BTS Jin and Theborn Korea CEO Paik Jong-won about brewing. The ministry named the brewery one of Chuncheon’s local tourism hot spots last year.

Visitors to Gamja Island in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, enjoy craft beers, fried chicken and pizza, Thursday. Courtesy of KORAIL Tourism Development

Yoo makes her liquors using traditional tools such as a sojugori, a Korean clay distiller, and earthenware, along with locally sourced water, flowers and rice. She applies those traditional methods to create wine and soju varieties suited to modern tastes.

“Tradition vanishes if it remains stagnant. It must evolve,” she said.

Hosu Brewery is another local liquor spot where traditional wine-making and fine dining experiences take place under one roof. CEO Choi Kyeong-ja said that while the city’s history of traditional wines is relatively short, her brewery, built seven years ago, is one of the oldest local traditional wine crafters. She also showcases dishes that pair well with the wines, over 70 percent of which are made with local ingredients.

Gamja Island is a modern pub in downtown Chuncheon, renovated from an old church. Co-CEO Ahn Hong-june said the idea for the business came in 2019, when he saw local farmers dumping potatoes after a bumper harvest sent prices plunging.

He began looking for creative ways to use local produce, eventually developing 16 craft beers, along with pizzas and fried chicken made with potatoes and other locally grown vegetables, such as tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers.

“About 70 percent of the harvested potatoes were thrown out back then. I wanted to fix the problem, so I started this business in 2021 by remodeling the shutdown church built 35 years ago. We have recently landed a trade deal to export our beers to a distributor in China,” he said.

江原道春川市正利用辣炒鸡排等鸡肉料理吸引游客，扶持当地企业。该市与韩国铁路旅游发展公司合作，推出了包含餐饮、酒水体验和观光游览的十月限定旅游套餐。该套餐开售仅一天便被预订一空。韩国旅游发展部计划在试运营结束后，将运营权移交给春川市。

韩国农林畜产食品部于6月宣布设立“K-鸡肉带”，列出了30个以鸡肉菜肴闻名的城市中的552家餐厅和场所。

春川市和韩国铁路旅游发展公司通过韩国铁路旅游套餐在线销售平台推出了该旅游套餐，用于10月份的销售。

该套餐包含 10 月 16 日、10 月 23 日至 24 日和 10 月 30 日至 31 日的一日和两日课程，每个课程的参与人数有限。

截至周五，即韩国铁路官网开售第二天，所有预订名额已全部订满。

庆尚北道龟尾市、京畿道水原市和济州岛也在筹备类似的旅游项目。

发布于2026年9月11日下午3:14（韩国标准时间）

K-Chicken Belt 押注于这座城市著名的美食

周五，在江原道春川市的Jangho Dakgalbi餐厅，顾客们正在享用烤鸡。图片由韩国铁路旅游发展局提供。

江原道春川市——春川以其韩式炒鸡排（dakgalbi）而闻名，长期以来吸引着来自全国各地的游客前来品尝当地美食。如今，春川市正将这种美食魅力置于政府振兴国内旅游业的新兴计划的核心位置，该计划旨在将当地美食与热门旅游景点联系起来。

今年6月，韩国农林畜产食品部公布了“K-Chicken Belt”榜单，列出了30个以鸡肉料理闻名的城市中的552家餐厅和场所。春川市作为辣炒鸡排（dakgalbi）的代表城市，与韩国铁路旅游发展公司（KORAIL Tourism Development）联合推出了一项旅游套餐，重点推介该市的特色美食、传统酒类、观光景点和当地体验活动。该项目由农林畜产食品部下属的韩国食品振兴院负责组织实施。

该旅游套餐仅限10月份通过韩国铁路公司（KORAIL）的旅游套餐在线销售平台发售，包含辣炒鸡排、烤鸡、荞麦面等美食，以及在春川及周边江原道地区种植的天然食材烹制的精致餐厅和酒吧用餐体验。此外，行程还包括参观传统酒厂、三摩山湖缆车和国家森林活动中心。

该旅游套餐包含10月16日的一日游项目，以及10月23日至24日和10月30日至31日的两日游项目，每个项目均有名额限制。截至周五，即韩国铁路公司（KORAIL）网站开售仅一天后，所有名额均已售罄。试运营结束后，韩国文化和旅游部计划将运营权移交给春川市政府，以便将该套餐发展成为一项本地旅游业务。

周四，在江原道春川市智秀酒厂，一位烧酒师正在蒸馏华田一烧酒。图片由韩国铁路旅游发展局提供。

自“韩国炸鸡带”推出以来，春川市在开发以当地美食为核心的旅游产品方面，比其他以炸鸡闻名的地区行动更为迅速。庆尚北道龟尾市、京畿道水原市和济州岛也已开始筹备类似的以当地特色美食为主题的旅游项目，但这些项目目前仍在开发完善中。

“K-Chicken Belt 原计划于 2032 年推出。但去年的一项调查证实，韩国炸鸡实际上是外国人必吃韩国食品榜单上的第一名，我们意识到该项目的重要性，决定提前推出。”该部门表示，并提及了该部门与食品振兴院联合进行的一项调查。

“美食是衡量一个发达国家水平的重要指标之一。如今，消费者愿意为优质的体验买单，而地道的美食正是他们的目标之一。春川的地道风味绝对能够满足这些期待。”该研究所所长李圭民说道。

参加春川美食之旅的游客可以在智酒酒厂品尝到传统的米酒、利口酒和蒸馏酒。酒厂首席执行官柳素英师从韩国传统酒研究院院长朴禄潭，学习传统酿造技艺。朴禄潭曾指导过防弹少年团成员Jin和Theborn Korea首席执行官白钟元酿酒，因此名声大噪。去年，智酒酒厂被韩国文化部评为春川当地旅游热点景点之一。

周四，游客们在江原道春川市的甘子岛上享用精酿啤酒、炸鸡和披萨。图片由韩国铁路旅游发展局提供。

Yoo使用韩国传统陶制蒸馏器（sojugori）和陶罐等传统工具，并采用当地取水、鲜花和大米酿造酒类。她运用这些传统方法，酿造出符合现代人口味的葡萄酒和烧酒。

“传统如果停滞不前，就会消失。它必须与时俱进，”她说。

湖水酿酒厂是另一家将传统酿酒工艺与精致餐饮体验融为一体的本地酒厂。首席执行官崔京子表示，虽然该市传统葡萄酒的历史相对较短，但她七年前建立的酿酒厂却是当地历史最悠久的传统葡萄酒酿造厂之一。她还展示了与葡萄酒完美搭配的菜肴，其中超过70%的菜肴都采用当地食材烹制而成。

Gamja Island是一家位于春川市中心的现代酒吧，由一座老教堂改建而成。联合首席执行官安洪俊表示，这家酒吧的创意源于2019年，当时他看到当地农民在土豆丰收后价格暴跌，纷纷倾倒土豆。

他开始寻找利用当地农产品的创新方法，最终开发出了 16 种精酿啤酒，以及用土豆和其他当地种植的蔬菜（如西红柿、胡萝卜和黄瓜）制作的披萨和炸鸡。

“当时大约有70%的土豆被扔掉了。我想解决这个问题，所以我在2021年创办了这家公司，把一座35年前建造的废弃教堂改造成了啤酒厂。我们最近达成了一项贸易协议，将我们的啤酒出口到中国的一家分销商，”他说。