ULSAN — Ulsan has reached a recommendation to abolish 20 of 84 large-scale events after deliberations by a citizen jury, drawing attention to whether the move will fundamentally reshape a local festival ecosystem long sustained by custom. Beyond simple budget savings, expectations are rising that it will become a turning point for shifting local events — criticized for quantitative expansion and a reliance on celebrity performers — toward resident participation and distinctive local content.
According to the city on the 2nd, Ulsan drew recommendations to abolish 20 of 84 projects receiving at least 100 million won in city funding through a "Citizen Jury on Festivals and Events" forum held on Sept. 19 at the International Hall of the University of Ulsan. The outcome came after 99 jurors, selected at random in line with the distribution of the registered population, comprehensively reviewed the effectiveness and budget validity of each project.
A total of 20 projects drew recommendations for abolition. By category, culture and performance accounted for the most at seven: the Family Love Concert, Go-Retro, Immortal Songs in Ulsan, I Love Ulsan Citizens' Concert, Ulsan Office Workers' Song Festival, Mr. Joong-gi's Family DAY Concert, and the 2026 International Private Exchange (performance).
Festivals and events accounted for six, including the International Woodblock Festival, the Ulsan Industrial Festival, the Ulsan Rice Cake and Bakery Festival, the Ulsan Food Culture Festival, the Ulsan Pet Festival and the Taehwa River National Garden Summer Festival. Sports and health accounted for four: the World Prestigious Universities Rowing Festival, the Village and Neighborhood Heads' Sports Day, the Bicycle Festival and the Haeoreum Community Sports Festival. Economy and industry accounted for three: ULSAN EXPORT PLAZA, the Ulsan Innovation Conference and the Ulsan Health Expo marking Health Day.
The city plans to conduct in-depth reviews by department to curb unnecessary budget waste and secure efficiency in fiscal management, then reflect the results in the final 2027 main budget.
The decision is seen as a turning point in overcoming chronic limitations of local festivals. Festivals that have sprung up across local governments have drawn controversy over budget waste due to formulaic programs centered on invited singers, concentration in particular seasons and a lack of differentiation. Given that institutional mechanisms such as festival evaluation committees and overhaul attempts by previous city administrations failed to produce clear results, the measure is being read as the opening signal of full-fledged structural reform.
The Ulsan Citizens' Solidarity welcomed the jury's decision in a commentary, calling it "a meaningful first step toward correcting the problem of the proliferation of festivals and events in Ulsan." The group said it carries great significance in that citizens went through a process of examining the budget directly and judging necessity, and stressed that it should not stop at abolition but become an opportunity to focus on festivals that properly capture Ulsan's history and culture, industry and local character, and that citizens can enjoy firsthand. It also proposed building a permanent review system to continuously examine the necessity, local relevance, citizen participation and effectiveness of events.
With a restructuring of festivals aligned with citizens' expectations now under way — moving away from administration-led, one-sided events and support granted by custom — the prevailing view is that it will drive a qualitative leap in local culture over the long term.
Lee Young-hwan, Ulsan's fiscal planning officer, said the 20 projects announced are those for which the citizen jury recommended abolition and that their termination has not been finalized. "We will convey the citizen jury's views to the project departments and closely review the effectiveness of the projects, the appropriateness of the budget invested and the need for future operation before proceeding with work on the 2027 budget," Lee said.
