Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival

Oct 3, 2026 ~ Oct 18, 2026 · 626 Namgang-ro, Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do (Bonseong-dong)

Yudeung (floating lanterns) originated during the Battle of Jinjuseong Fortress, one of the three great victories of the Imjin War, when lanterns were floated on the Namgang River as military signals to communicate with righteous army forces outside the fortress and as a means of sending messages of safety between family members. Carrying on this tradition, the citizens of Jinju operated the “Yudeung Contest” as part of the “Gaecheon Arts Festival,” the first regional comprehensive arts festival in Korea, which began in 1949. Since 2000, it has been held independently as the “Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival.” Yudeung has been elevated into a festival expressing citizens’ wishes for peace, love, happiness, and the fulfillment of hopes, and today it has grown into a global festival that shares the value of peace with people around the world. Every autumn, in Jinju, the “City of Light and Peace,” the magnificent sight of floating lanterns across the Namgang River and the Jinjuseong Fortress area offers beautiful scenery while inviting visitors to reflect on the historical meaning held within it.