Jeonju, famous among Koreans as a town of culture and cuisine, cultural and artistic tradition emanates from every corner of the city. Jeonju possesses a rich history. This area is the origin of the Joseon Dynasty's family Yi, ruling family of the Dynasty. The city preserves a variety of historical sites, including Pungnammun (gate), Gyeonggijeon (shrine) and Gaeksa, an ancient official guesthouse. Moreover, with its fine local cuisine, Jeonju has long been regarded as the destination of epicures.
Its most famous cuisine include Jeonju Bibimbab (cooked rice mixed with vegetables), Jeonju Hanjeongsik (traditional Jeonju-style full-course Korean meal), and Jeonju Kongnamulgukbab (steamed rice mixed with bean sprout soup). Every year, Jeonju hosts the Jeonju Daesaseupnori, a Korean traditional classical music contest, held here for the past 200 years.
Jeonju is also famous for elegant fans and Korean traditional mulberry paper, hanji, which has greatly contributed to the development of traditional Oriental paintings and calligraphy. The hanji produced during the Joseon Era was so valued that it was exported in large quantities to China. Jeonju is a city of art and culture, featuring a wide variety of cultural events, both ancient and modern, ranging from the International Film Festival, the Paper Festival, the International Sori (sound) Festival, to the International Calligraphy Biennale.