Busan Metropolitan City and the Busan Tourism Organization (hereinafter referred to as the "Organization") announced that they will operate "Gukbap Week," a major event of the "2026 Busan Pork Soup Festival," from September 28 to October 14, and conduct a voting event targeting 20 pork soup restaurants selected through citizen recommendations.

The "2026 Busan Pork Soup Festival," held for the first time this year, is an interactive gourmet event designed not as a simple restaurant competition, but to develop the stories and tastes of citizens embedded in Busan’s representative local dish, pork soup, into tourism content. Starting with citizen recommendations, the event consists of ▲Gukbap Talks, ▲Gukbap Week, ▲Gukbap Showcase (on-site participation event), and ▲Gukbap Awards (ceremony), designed so that citizens and tourists can directly experience Busan’s diverse pork soups.

Previously, on September 19, the "Gukbap Talk" was held with 20 "Gukbap Lovers" (Busan citizen enthusiasts), Chef Kang Leo, food literature researcher Park Sang-hyun, and actor Han Sang-jin (Public Relations Ambassador for Busan) to share the stories of the 20 selected establishments. For a long time (about 9 hours), participants shared their individual experiences, tastes, and the characteristics of each selected restaurant under the theme, "What is the standard for Busan pork soup?"

The main contents of the Gukbap Talk will also be released in videos. Following the main teaser released on September 27, introduction videos of citizen participants and the main episodes will be sequentially released through official Visit Busan channels and other platforms.

The stories shared during the talk will lead into Gukbap Week and citizen participation voting, which run from September 28 to October 14. The voting targets 20 pork soup restaurants chosen through recommendations by over 10,800 Busan citizens. Any citizen or tourist can access the KakaoMap voting page (https://map.kakao.com/events/busan-gukbap/2026) to check out the selected establishments and vote for their favorite pork soup restaurant. Those who visit each selected establishment can also participate by scanning the QR code on the posters and promotional materials installed in the stores. Events such as "Gukbap Lottery" will also be operated for on-site voting participants.

The 20 restaurants subject to voting can be met at the "Gukbap Showcase" (on-site participation event) held from October 16 to 18 at "Now Arriving" located in the Busan International Finance Center (BIFC 2). The site will feature programs where citizens and tourists can directly enjoy Busan pork soup, such as pork soup sales booths and cooking shows. On October 16, the "Gukbap Awards" (ceremony) will be held to announce the final top 3 establishments (TOP 3) and top 10 establishments (TOP 10) based on the voting results.

An official from the Organization stated, "The main characters of this event are not specific experts or brands, but the citizens who have long enjoyed and loved Busan's pork soup," adding, "We aimed to create a virtuous cycle where citizens' experiences and tastes become tourism content, and store visits and voting lead back to regional tourism."

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