German Village Beer Festival

The 14th German Village Beer Festival is Namhae-gun’s flagship cultural and tourism festival, held against the backdrop of the German Village’s exotic scenery and the historical significance of the Korean workers sent to Germany. German Village is a community where Korean expatriates who were sent to Germany in the 1960s and 1970s to work as miners and nurses settled upon their return to Korea; it preserves the history of the lives of these workers and of exchanges between Korea and Germany. Inspired by Oktoberfest, Germany’s most famous beer festival, the event features a variety of German cuisine and beer, music, parades, and hands-on activities. In particular, by linking the history of Korean workers in Germany and the identity of German Village to the festival’s content, the event promotes the region’s historical and cultural value and is evolving into a global cultural tourism festival that both domestic and international tourists can enjoy together.