UIRYEONG — About 18 times the population of Uiryeong County in South Gyeongsang Province passed through the county in four days. Uiryeong County said on the 6th that 430,000 people attended the 5th Uiryeong Rich Rich Festival, held from the 2nd to the 5th of this month. It was the largest turnout on record for the county of about 24,500 residents, and officials expect the economic impact to exceed 20 billion won.
The turnout was up 90,000 from 340,000 a year earlier, the county said. During the festival, vehicles backed up along the road leading into Uiryeong from the Gunbuk interchange, at times creating delays of about two hours.
The visitors spent money locally. Crowds filled food stalls and stands selling farm and local specialty products at the festival grounds, as well as nearby shops. The county also ran a "Rich Lottery" that accepted receipts from purchases made within the county.
Officials attributed the strong turnout to the festival's clear identity and the new content added each year. This year's theme was "the sense of wealth." Organizers built pleasures for the five senses into the festival and broadened the meaning of wealth to include health, happiness, good relationships and sharing. The "Rich District No. 1" theme pavilion (named for the Korean idiom meaning "the top address of the wealthy"), laid out in nine zones, presented a wealthy person's eye for value, insight and generosity through games and hands-on activities. Popular programs such as the "Rich Experience Hall" sold out of advance online reservations early.
The festival also featured activities built around artificial intelligence. "AI Rich Condition" analyzes a visitor's face using AI to gauge their "sense of wealth" and recommends a tailored program.
The event also leaned more clearly into its identity as a festival for three generations. Programs drawing everyone from children to grandparents ran across the grounds, including the Rich Field Day, the Rich Family Olympics, the Rich Arcade and Rich Kidzania. At night, the festival held an EDM disco party, the Rich Fireworks show and a multimedia show.
The area around Sotbawi, the rock formation where the festival originated, was also crowded. Attractions included a heart-shaped pontoon bridge, a wishing tree, the Jeongam Market and the "Rich Boat Tour" along the Nam River. Wishes hung on the tree asked not only for riches but also for family health and children's futures.
At the Rich Awards, held during the opening ceremony, the honorees were Jung Young-sik, chairman of Beomhan Group; Kim Hyun-soo, director of Uiryeong Deokyoung Internal Medicine Clinic; and the late Kong Do-yeon. Kong spent her life volunteering for neighbors and donated her body for medical education and research after her death.
County Mayor Oh Tae-wan delivered what he called a "five senses welcome address" at the opening ceremony. At his suggestion, more than 17,000 spectators clapped, held the hand of the person next to them and closed their eyes for three seconds.
"The Rich Rich Festival is possible only in Uiryeong, with its Sotbawi legend of wealth and the stories of Korea's leading company founders," Oh said. "The strength of adding new meaning and new fun to Uiryeong's own story each year led to this year's result of 430,000 visitors." He added that the festival had created a "rich effect," in which visitors invigorate the local economy and raise the value of Uiryeong itself.
