2025 UNIMA General Assembly and World Puppet Festival Host City Finalized as Chuncheon
Over 100 Theater Groups and 3,000 Participants... Various Events Including Mime Festival Planned
Lee Jae-su, Mayor of Chuncheon, is holding a press conference to attract the International Puppet Federation General Assembly. [Provided by Chuncheon City]
[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] "Do you happen to know 'UNIMA'?", "Have you ever heard that Chuncheon is a unique city in Korea for puppet theater?", "Have you seen the news that the World Puppet Festival will be held in Chuncheon in 2025?"
Lee Jae-su, mayor of Chuncheon, said, "UNIMA is not widely known domestically, but in Europe, the organization UNIMA holds a very high status," adding, "Among cultural and artistic organizations, it is the most representative group and has a history of nearly 100 years."
He continued, "Last April, Chuncheon was finally selected as the host city for the 2025 UNIMA General Assembly and the World Puppet Festival."
On the night of April 21, Chuncheon won 92 out of 141 total votes in the vote for the host city of the 2025 UNIMA General Assembly held in Charleville, France, overwhelmingly defeating Montreal, Canada, which received only 27 votes. (77.3% of valid votes, with 22 abstentions).
Lee Jae-su, Mayor of Chuncheon (right in the photo), is cheering with Lim Jeong-mi, Chairperson of UNIMA Korea, as Chuncheon was selected as the host city for the 2025 UNIMA General Assembly and the World Puppet Festival. [Provided by Chuncheon City]
In Asia, the festival has been held in Japan, and in 2012 it was held in Qingdao, China, where as many as 3 million people participated in the festival.
UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionnette) is the world's most prestigious cultural organization, which began with the World Puppet Exhibition held in Prague, Czech Republic, in 1929. It is an official non-governmental organization under UNESCO and the oldest organization among international performing arts bodies.
It has 101 official member countries and about 70 active member countries. UNIMA's biggest events are the General Assembly and the World Puppet Festival, held every four years. These two events are held together and usually last from ten days to two weeks.
Typically, about 100 theater companies and 3,000 related personnel participate in UNIMA events. Large and small performance venues are set up in the host city, attracting audiences from various countries. This time, Chuncheon has secured the hosting rights for this event.
Chuncheon has the only specialized puppet theater in Korea, and the Chuncheon Puppet Festival, along with the Mime Festival, has represented Chuncheon as a cultural and artistic festival for 33 years.
Therefore, Chuncheon is called the unique city of puppet theater in Korea.
During the event, not only the Chuncheon Puppet Theater but also local universities such as Kangwon National University and Hallym University, as well as various performance spaces like Nami Island, will be used as puppet theater venues.
In particular, unlike other international events, the UNIMA event does not require building huge facilities. There are no invitation costs. Participants attend the event at their own expense, with only the costs for the General Assembly executives and invitees from impoverished countries being supported.
The mayor said, "The 2025 UNIMA General Assembly will be an event where the whole world shares the resonance of life and peace through puppet theater," adding, "We also plan to invite a North Korean puppet troupe for a joint production performance."
Additionally, Chuncheon plans to use this event as an opportunity to create a one-source multi-use (OSMU) platform through puppet theater.
Currently, puppet theater is gaining attention as content that can be utilized not only in plays but also in storybooks, videos, and more. It is an artistic performance that includes various genres such as art, music, theatrical elements, and animation.
Meanwhile, the person who laid the foundation for puppet theater in Chuncheon was planner Kang Jun-hyuk, who passed away in 1989. He took the first step for Chuncheon puppet theater at the Samcheon-dong Children's Center. Mayor Lee also served as the president of the UNIMA Korea branch and chairman of the Chuncheon Puppet Theater in 2014.
Since then, the Chuncheon Puppet Festival has established itself as a private performing arts festival led by puppeteers and citizens. Last year, it founded the country's first municipal puppet troupe. Next year, it plans to open an international puppet school, preparing to become a world-class puppet theater city.
The city plans to quickly conduct related services and inform citizens that this hosting is not a one-time event but the crowning achievement of the Chuncheon Puppet Festival, which has been cultivated for over 30 years.
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