Confirming potential of Gyeonggi Province's representative global festival... '2026 GHOST Festival' inaugural event attracts over 15,000 visitors
The '2026 GHOST (Gyeonggi Korean Wave OST) Festival,' a new global music festival combining the historical significance of the DMZ and popular K-content, successfully concluded its three-day journey.
The Gyeonggi Tourism Organization announced on the 12th that a total of over 15,000 visitors attended the '2026 GHOST Festival' held at Imjinghak Peace Nuri in Paju from the 9th to the 11th.
Debuting this year, the GHOST Festival was planned to foster Gyeonggi Province as a signature global tourism brand by combining the world's unique DMZ with K-OST.
The festival provided visitors with an opportunity to experience the DMZ's history, culture, and tourism resources simultaneously by operating diverse experience programs alongside musical performances in the symbolic space of Imjinghak Peace Nuri.
The stage featured over 30 top-tier artists over three days, including South Korea's representative band YB and Kim Chang-wan Band, as well as Baek Ji-young, Gummy, and Lin who drove K-OST box office success, and Bea, WINNER, and Wendy with global fanbases, who delivered passionate performances. Around the performance venue, ancillary events such as K-beauty makeup experience and Gyeonggi Province film and drama filming location exhibitions also garnered significant response.
Stay-type tourism connection programs for visitor convenience also garnered attention. Accessibility was enhanced through connections with Peace Nuri campground and operation of both free and paid shuttle buses, while ticket sales to overseas tourists through inbound travel agencies demonstrated the potential for future development into a global cultural and tourism festival encompassing both domestic and international tourists.
Hong Yeon-mi, a visitor who attended the festival with her children, said, "It was a unique experience to enjoy music in the special space of Imjinghak Peace Nuri," and added, "I had a pleasant time as various experiences and attractions were organized not only for performances but for everything."
An official from the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization stated, "Through this festival, we confirmed the infinite potential of a new festival," and expressed determination, saying, "Next year, as young people from around the world visit Korea, we will further enhance the festival's completeness so that the DMZ can develop into a center of peace and culture that the entire world is passionate about, transcending its role as a mere security tourism destination."