Jeju Tangerine Picking 2026: Season, Prices ($3.50 for 1kg) and Why This Year's Fruit Is the Sweetest on Record

If Jeju Island is on your Korea itinerary this fall, you've probably seen the reels: someone wanders through rows of trees heavy with orange fruit, snips a tangerine off the branch and peels it on the spot. What those clips almost never tell you is where it was, when the season starts, how much it costs or how much fruit you get to take home — they usually end with "comment for the farm name." So we cross-checked Jeju's official crop survey, Korean news reports and the public citrus museum's program details to give you the season, prices and hours, the rain rule that can ruin your day, the dates of this year's Citrus Expo, and why 2026 tangerines are unusually sweet — all before your Jeju trip.

Photo: Jeju Special Self-Governing Province (via Segye Ilbo, September 8, 2026)

1. The quick answer: when, where and how much

Some context first. Jeju is Korea's citrus island, and the small, easy-peel tangerine Koreans call gyul (귤) is its signature crop. Picking your own at a farm, known as gamgyul-ttagi (감귤따기), is a classic fall-and-winter Jeju activity for Korean families. Here's the summary, as of October 16, 2026:

What	Details
Season	Generally mid-October through January (some farms open in early October)
Best for fully orange orchards	November onward, when the main open-field harvest runs
Public program (Citrus Museum)	₩5,000 (about $3.50) per person, take home about 1kg (2.2 lb) — 2025 season
Private farms	Roughly ₩5,000–20,000 ($3.50–$14), take-home rules vary
Jeju Citrus Expo	November 19 (Thu) – 23 (Mon), 2026, Jeju Agricultural Ecology Park, Seogwipo

You don't need to know which farm was in the reel. Use the Seogwipo Citrus Museum program, whose price and rules are public, as your baseline and compare private farms against it.

2. Seogwipo Citrus Museum: ₩5,000 for about 1kg

Because it's run by the city, this is the program with the clearest information. Combining reports from Wikitree and Maeil Shinmun, here's how last year's (2025) season worked:

• Dates: November 3 – December 30, 2025
• Where: three citrus orchards on the museum grounds
• Fee: ₩5,000 (about $3.50) per person — pick, taste, and take home about 1kg
• Hours: 9:30–11:30 a.m. and 1:00–4:30 p.m. (entry times)
• Rain: the program does not run on rainy days, for safety

Note that the 2026 start date and fee had not been confirmed when we wrote this. The museum's official site wasn't reachable, and every report we found covered last season. Check the museum's official notice before you go.

Photo: Maeil Shinmun, November 5, 2025 (tangerine picking at the Seogwipo Citrus Museum)

Museum admission is separate: ₩1,500 for adults

The picking fee and museum entry are charged separately. Cross-checking several travel listings, admission is ₩1,500 (about $1) for adults, ₩1,000 for teens and ₩800 for children, with free entry for ages 65+ and 6 and under (one listing shows a different child fare, so confirm on site). It's open 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., last entry 5:30 p.m. The museum reopened on June 26, 2025 after a renovation that added media-art and immersive exhibits, and the World Citrus Hall and a subtropical botanical garden are on the same grounds. Doing the museum and the picking on the same visit saves you a trip — useful because Seogwipo is on Jeju's south coast, across the island from Jeju Airport in the north.

3. Why 2026 tangerines are extra sweet: a record 8.5 Brix

This is a good year to go. On September 8, 2026, Jeju's Agricultural Research and Extension Services and its citrus survey committee released their second field survey of the open-field crop:

• Sugar content 8.5 Brix — the highest since the survey began, 1.1 Brix above last year and 1.4 Brix above the five-year average
• By area: Jeju City 9.0 Brix, Seogwipo 8.1 Brix (per Segye Ilbo)
• Why: warmer-than-usual temperatures while the fruit was growing, plus a dry, sunny July and August (per Jeju Maeil)

The trade-off is size. Average fruit width was 41.9mm in Jeju City, 3.7mm smaller than last year, while Seogwipo held steady at 43.6mm. In short, it's a "small but sweet" year, so when you're picking, go for evenly deep color rather than the biggest fruit.

Photo: Maeil Shinmun, November 5, 2025

There should be plenty of fruit, too. The same survey projects about 443,300 tonnes (range 425,300–461,300), 7.8% more than last year's 410,900 tonnes, with 909 fruits per tree versus 800 last year. That's still a forecast — the final estimate comes after a third survey in November, and the Korea Rural Economic Institute's September outlook put it lower, at 426,900 tonnes.

Jeju has also introduced six newer premium varieties harvested from December into January, and according to the province, a new open-field cross of Hwanggeumhyang and Red Hyang is set to reach farmers from 2028.

4. Jeju Citrus Expo, November 19–23: pair it with picking

If you're in Jeju in the third week of November, the timing lines up. Per Halla Ilbo and Financial News reports:

• Dates: November 19 (Thu) – 23 (Mon), 2026, five days
• Venue: Jeju Agricultural Ecology Park at the Seogwipo Agricultural Technology Center
• Theme: "Jeju, embracing citrus! Jeju, opening the future!"
• For visitors: cultural performances, a farmers' direct-sale citrus market and family activities (plus smart-farming, processing, academic and export programs)

The detailed schedule and admission fee have not been officially confirmed yet. A price is circulating on some blogs, but we couldn't trace it to an official source, so we're leaving it out. Check the official site (jicexpo.com) before you go.

Photo: Halla Ilbo, August 11, 2026 (provided by the Jeju International Citrus Expo organizing committee, D-100 unveiling)

Planning to combine Jeju with fall colors on the mainland? Our Korea fall foliage 2026 peak dates forecast will help you pick dates.

5. Seven practical tips for travelers

1. Watch the weather — the Citrus Museum program doesn't run in rain (2025). Private farms may not either, so call ahead. If you don't speak Korean, ask your hotel front desk to make the call.
2. Mind the lunch gap — museum entry pauses from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Arrive for the 9:30–11:30 or 1:00–4:30 windows (2025).
3. Ask what's included — the museum gives about 1kg for ₩5,000 (2025), but private farms price by basket, by kilo or with extra charges per additional kilo. Two ₩10,000 farms can send you home with very different amounts.
4. Want the photo with bright orange trees? Go after November 1 — early-season October fruit is often still partly green.
5. Pick by color, not size — Jeju City fruit is running smaller this year; evenly deep orange is the better signal.
6. Follow the farm's snipping instructions — staff show you how to cut the fruit when you arrive.
7. Dry wet fruit before packing — tangerines with damp skin soften faster. If you picked the day after rain, spread them out to dry before they go in your bag.

Love seasonal food festivals? Korea's west coast has one for prawns, too: see our Daeha prawn festival guide to Namdang and Muchangpo.

Bottom line: small, sweet, and best in November

Jeju tangerine picking runs mid-October through January, the public program cost ₩5,000 (about $3.50) for about 1kg last season, and 2026 fruit is the sweetest on record at 8.5 Brix. Visiting November 19–23? Add the Citrus Expo to the same day.

Save this for your Jeju trip. And if you've been to a farm this season or spot the museum's 2026 schedule, drop a comment — we'll update the guide.

Sources: Jeju Agricultural Research and Extension Services / citrus survey committee, 2026 second open-field citrus survey (reported by Jeju Maeil, Segye Ilbo and Kyunghyang Shinmun, September 8, 2026) / Financial News (September 4, 2026, Korea Rural Economic Institute outlook) / Halla Ilbo (August 11, 2026) and Financial News (July 13 and August 13, 2026) on the Citrus Expo / Wikitree and Maeil Shinmun (November 2025) on the museum program / Mom-mom and NOL travel listings (museum admission) / jeju.com, Tripsoda and Seoul Shinmun (season and farm price ranges) / Newsis (August 6, 2026, new varieties). Photos are news photos, including images provided by Jeju Province and the Expo organizers. Information as of October 16, 2026; dollar figures are rough conversions. Confirm schedules and fees with official sources before visiting.