Korea kicks off 68-day K-culture shopping festival to attract winter tourists

Korea on Wednesday launched the 2026 Korea Grand Sale, a two-month nationwide shopping and cultural festival aimed at attracting more foreign tourists and stimulating domestic spending during the winter off-season. The event, organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Visit Korea Committee, will run until Feb. 22, featuring record participation from around 1,750 companies, including airlines, hotels, retailers and food and beauty brands. Officials said the annual promotional event, first held in 2011, has been extended from 45 to 68 days to give more visitors access to travel and shopping benefits. The opening ceremony took place in central Seoul’s shopping and tourism district of Myeong-dong, where officials, foreign tourists and business representatives gathered to celebrate under the festival’s theme, "A Thrilling Voyage Toward the Sea of Hallyu." The event featured a video presentation and lively K-pop performance by the dance group K-Tigers. Among the companies taking part are 10 domestic airlines, led by Korean Air, offering discounts of up to 96 percent o