Imsil Cheese Village, Born from Father Ji Jeong-hwan’s Two Goats

The Starting Point Left by Two Goats in 1966 and the 1967 Imsil Cheese Factory

The origins of Imsil Cheese Village are connected to the work of Didier Sesstevens, a Belgian priest known in Korea as Father Ji Jeong-hwan, who began raising goats after being appointed to Imsil Catholic Church in 1964. According to materials from Imsil County, Father Ji began making cheese while raising two goats in 1966 and established the Imsil Cheese Factory in Imsil-eup in 1967, creating the starting point for Korea's domestic cheese industry.

The village was initially called “Zelkova Tree Village” because of its association with the zelkova tree at the entrance, but its name was changed to “Cheese Village” following a residents' general meeting. Its current address is 4, Cheese Maeul 1-gil, Imsil-eup, Imsil-gun, Jeonbuk State, and it is about 20 km from Jeonju. The key point is that this is not merely a place displaying cheese production; it is a rural living-experience village operated by a residents' management committee and local farms, which share responsibility for activities, meals, lodging, and sales.

From the Start of Mozzarella Experiences in 2001 to Its Designation as an Character Education School in 2021

According to the official chronology, Cheese Village planted a zelkova tree in 1982 and formed an eco-friendly farming group in 1991. In 2001, it began Korea's first mozzarella cheese-making experience, followed in 2003 by the establishment of Neuti Village and its designation as a Green Rural Experience Village and Farmstay Village.

After changing its name to Cheese Village in 2007, it was designated a Rural Experience and Recreation Village in 2010, received a Presidential Commendation at the Korea Rural Village Awards in 2011, established Imsil Cheese Rainbow in 2014, received a Presidential Commendation at the Happy Village Making Contest in 2017, and was designated a Rural Character Education School in 2021. The management committee was voluntarily formed in 2003 by residents of Hwaseong Village and Junggeum Village, and the official introduction states that 87 residents participate as members.

10:00, 11:30, and 13:30 Mozzarella Experiences: Check the Price Before Reserving

According to tourist information, the main mozzarella experience is held Tuesday through Sunday at 10:00, 11:30, and 13:30, and the same-day experience fee is 20,000 won per person. Admission is listed as 19,000 won, but optional programs and experience fees may be charged separately, so it is advisable to ask exactly what is included when making a reservation.

Mini pizza making is listed at 11,000 won, large pizza making at 32,000 won, yut-stick cheese making at 10,000 won, and the six-activity experience outing at 28,000 won. The experience capacity is 20 to 150 people, and reservations are accepted through the website or by phone. Since operation for small individual visits may vary by date, call the main number, 063-643-3700, first to confirm the experience start time and minimum number of participants.

• Mozzarella experience: 10:00, 11:30, and 13:30; 20,000 won per person
• Mini pizza making: 11,000 won per person
• Large pizza making: 32,000 won per pizza
• Yut-stick cheese making: 10,000 won per person
• Six-activity experience outing: 28,000 won per person

The 60-Minute, 9,000-Won-Per-Person Yogurt-Making Program Requires at Least 20 Participants

The Imsil yogurt-making experience is a 60-minute program that includes yogurt tasting and packaging of the yogurt made by each participant. Participants are instructed to refrigerate the yogurt they take home for seven hours before consuming it, so bringing an insulated cooler bag is advisable for long-distance travel.

The fee is 9,000 won per person, and the group size ranges from a minimum of 20 to a maximum of 50 people. This program operates by reservation, and the consultation number is 010-4888-3707. Small families should ask whether there is a date when they can join another group rather than applying immediately because of the minimum-participant requirement. It is also advisable to confirm during the reservation process whether the cheese, pizza, and yogurt experiences can be combined on the same day.

Plan Around Tuesday–Sunday Hours of 10:00–13:30 and Closure During Lunar New Year and Chuseok Holidays

The experience hours at Imsil Cheese Village are listed as 10:00–13:30 from Tuesday through Sunday, and the village is closed every Monday and during the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays. Since this is a place where scheduled experience sessions make up a large part of the visit, rather than a large park that can be freely explored after entry at any time, your itinerary should account for the possibility that you may miss the experience if you arrive in the afternoon.

The main telephone number is 063-643-3700, and the official website is https://imsilcheesemaeul.kr/. In addition to mozzarella cheese, pizza, and yogurt, activities such as feeding goats, making goat-milk soap, decorating eco-bags and mugs, and riding a farm tractor are introduced, but daily operation of every activity is not guaranteed. When reserving, provide the participants' ages, preferred activities, whether meals are desired, and whether the program operates in rainy weather to reduce the number of choices you need to make on site.

Free Parking for 10 Buses and Passenger Cars, with Access Best Suited to Cars

The village has a parking lot that can accommodate 10 buses and small cars at the same time, and parking is listed as free. Restrooms and facilities selling milk and dairy products are also available. Since group buses frequently visit this experience village, it is advisable to confirm the arrival time and parking route by phone when making a reservation, especially on weekends or days that overlap with school or group schedules.

Walking times from public transportation stations and bus stops are not provided in the official materials, so traveling by car or taxi is more practical for first-time foreign visitors or travelers with a lot of luggage. Korean-language guidance services are available, but it has not been confirmed whether foreign-language assistance is always provided. Wheelchair and stroller routes may also differ depending on the facilities at each experience site and farm, so if necessary, ask specifically before reserving about mobility assistance and restroom accessibility.

A Day Route Combining Imsil Cheese Theme Park at 50 Doin 2-gil with the Village

After the experience at Imsil Cheese Village, you can connect to Imsil Cheese Theme Park as a separate destination at 50 Doin 2-gil, Seongsu-myeon, Imsil-gun, Jeonbuk State. The theme park operates the Cheese History and Culture Hall, Animal Farm, Goat Ranch, Rose Garden, and Central Garden, and its visiting hours are 09:00–18:00.

The theme park is closed every Monday, January 1, and during the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays. Experience inquiries can be made at 063-643-2300 or 063-643-3400. Reserving a morning experience at Cheese Village and then moving to the theme park to see its outdoor areas and history and culture hall works well for time management. Although the names of the two places are similar, their addresses, operating organizations, and hours differ, so set each navigation destination accurately.

Business Hours for Finishing at Uyu Diary at 38 Cheese Maeul 2-gil

Uyu Diary, near the provided coordinates, is a café on the first floor of 38, Cheese Maeul 2-gil, Imsil-eup, Imsil-gun, Jeonbuk State. According to the available information, it is open daily from 11:00 to 18:00, and its telephone number is listed as 0507-1463-7592. If you are looking for drinks or dairy products after finishing the Cheese Village experience, it is easy to include the café in your schedule, but café information may change, so confirm by phone on the day of departure.

Review information mentions a main building and an annex, ample parking, stroller access to the annex, and rabbits in front of the main building. However, these are observations by individual visitors, so it is safer to confirm current operations with the café rather than making animal interaction or stroller access essential conditions of your trip. To avoid being late for an experience, it is better to visit the café after the experience rather than before a morning session.