2026 marks the Year of the Red Horse (Byeongo Year).
Like a crimson horse galloping without restraint, a year of intense and fiery energy unfolds.
Since ancient times, the horse has symbolized “leaps that overcome hardship” and stood as a “loyal companion” throughout life. On New Year’s Day, tables brimming with hope are set, as radiant as the rising sun itself.
Infused with the powerful spirit of horses charging across open land, New Year’s tables are prepared to pray for health and fortune. From three regions deeply connected to horses, distinct stories and flavors come together to form a “New Year’s Feast of Blessings.”
■ A Village Breathing with 700 Years of Horse History… The Traditional New Year’s Table of Majang-ri, Okcheon
Majang-ri, Dojang-ri, Okcheon County, North Chungcheong Province.
This is a clan village of the Okcheon Yuk family, where generations have lived for over 700 years, and most residents are related by blood. Each New Year, the entire village gathers to play yutnori and hold a feast, praying for peace and safety.
The village holds a unique legacy: horse graves.
The bond began with a horse bestowed upon Yuk Han, a former governor of Jeju, upon his retirement during the Joseon Dynasty. As officials traveling on inspection often rested here, the village came to be known as “the place where horses stay,” earning the name Majang-ri (Horse Stable Village).
In harsh and impoverished times, when fields served as pantries, the New Year’s table followed the mountain village way, simple yet profound.
A stew made with wild oyster mushrooms grown on centuries-old trees, chicken-tofu rice cake soup created to feed large families despite scarcity, and apple kkakdugi made with Okcheon’s local apples. Recipes passed down from mothers-in-law to daughters-in-law, along with wheat pancakes and napa cabbage fritters, complete a New Year’s table steeped in time and affection.
■ Horses Shaped from Earth, Meals Prepared as Medicine… A Tonic-like New Year in Yeongcheon
Jayang-myeon, Yeongcheon City, North Gyeongsang Province.
Nestled between Mount Bohyeon and Mount Giryong, this tranquil village is home to artists who shape horses from clay. Artist Song Young-cheol recreates horse relics in ceramics, while Lee Gyu-cheol molds horses inspired by the legend of “Chungno Eoksu.”
Yeongcheon has long been a transportation hub and a land of horses. It lay along the route of Joseon diplomatic envoys and served as a key base of the relay horse system. Traces of horses remain throughout the region even today.
Another hallmark of Yeongcheon is medicinal herbs.
So renowned that people say, “If Yeongcheon doesn’t have it, Korea doesn’t,” the New Year’s table here is medicine itself. Braised beef shank simmered with astragalus, angelica, lacquer tree, and mistletoe; medicinal rice cake soup made with herbal broth and mulberry leaf garaetteok; royal-style japchae and medicinal braised chicken prepared with five traditional colors.
It is truly a “tonic table,” energizing the body for a powerful run like the red horse into the new year.
■ Hoofbeats Cutting Through the Waves… A Vigorous New Year’s Table from Imjado
Imjado Island, Sinan County, South Jeolla Province.
Here, horses race across a 12-kilometer white sand beach, creating a breathtaking spectacle. Since the Joseon Dynasty, Imjado has raised horses through open grazing, earning its reputation as a “horse island” comparable to Jeju. Firm sand and a mild climate provide ideal conditions for horses to run.
At the New Year’s table of Ko Seong-ho, who has raised horses here for 21 years, the energy of sea and land overflows. Even in winter, green onions grow on Imjado, cultivated in sandy soil mixed with tidal mud. Their long white stalks and naturally sweet flavor stand out.
For the New Year, these leeks are generously added to steamed croaker made from dried fish. Alongside it are seasoned fermented kimchi with fresh shrimp, available only one month a year, and vinegared octopus salad made with tidal flat octopus said to “revive even a fallen ox.”
The Imjado table, crafted from ingredients harvested from the sea and the land, signals a powerful start to the new year.
Hot like the red horse, strong like pounding hooves.
In the Year of the Red Horse, 2026, New Year’s tables set across the nation carry wishes for health, harmony, and hope.
Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press
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