Taebaek Couple Festival to resume after four years this weekend

The Taebaek Couple Festival, inspired by the hit KBS K-drama "Descendants of The Sun" (2016) will resume after a four-year break at the Descendants of the Sun Park in Taebaek, Gangwon. According to city officials, this year's Taebaek Couple ..

The Taebaek Couple Festival, first held in 2017, was inspired by lead actors Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo of the hit KBS series "Descendants of The Sun" (2016) who met while filming and tied the knot in 2017. The couple split in 2019. [KBS]

The Taebaek Couple Festival, inspired by the hit KBS K-drama “Descendants of The Sun” (2016) will resume after a four-year break at the Descendants of the Sun Park in Taebaek, Gangwon.

According to city officials, this year’s Taebaek Couple Festival will be held this Saturday and Sunday.

The festival first started in May 2017 after the Descendants of the Sun Park was founded on the set of the hit K-drama. The festival features activities for couples like a hugging competition and other games, as well as a wedding-themed photoshoot for married couples.

The first festival garnered over 17,000 visitors and proved to be a successful tourist attraction. The second festival in July 2018 had 9,000 visitors.

The second Taebaek Couple Festival, held in July 2018 at the Descendants of the Sun Park in Taebaek, Gangwon. attracted 9,000 visitors. [TAEBAEK CITY]

The festival was especially popular as a romantic event since the protagonists of the show, actors Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, met while filming the series and tied the knot in 2017. The marriage of the two K-drama stars, dubbed the “Song-Song couple,” received much public attention and news coverage.

However, when the city was in the midst of preparing for the third event in June 2019, news broke that the couple had filed for divorce. The third festival was canceled abruptly.

While the city at the time reportedly considered abolishing the festival altogether, it decided to continue on with the franchise. However, it was unable to host the festivals in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]