Muan-gun Hosts the 19th Muan National Seungdal Gugak Festival

Participation of Gugak Aspirants Dreaming of Becoming Masters and Myungchang

The Muan National Seungdal Gugak Festival held last year / ⓒ Asia Economy

[Muan＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Oh Hwan-joo] Muan County, Jeollanam-do (Governor Kim San) announced on the 31st that it will hold the ‘19th Muan National Seungdal Gugak Festival,’ a grand festival for traditional Korean music artists, from the 3rd to the 5th of next month at the Muan Seungdal Culture and Arts Center.

Now in its 19th year, the Muan National Seungdal Gugak Festival is hosted by Muan County and organized by the Seungdal Uri Sorigobeop Preservation Society (Chairman Seo Jang-sik).

The Muan National Seungdal Gugak Festival has been held annually on a nationwide scale since 2003 to honor masters and famous singers of traditional Korean music from the region, such as Kang Yong-an, Kang Nam-jung, and Kang Tae-hong, all natives of Muan County. It has firmly established itself as a gateway for aspiring gugak artists.

This year’s competition will be divided into six categories?string instruments, wind instruments, pansori, dance, gayageum byeongchang, and pansori gobeop?across general and student divisions. As with last year, the Muan National Disabled Seungdal Gugak Festival will be added, attracting many gugak hopefuls dreaming of becoming future masters and famous singers to participate in the contest.

Awards will be given by category, including the highest honor, the Presidential Award (1 recipient), the Prime Minister’s Award (1 recipient), the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award (4 recipients), the Minister of Education Award (1 recipient), and the Minister of Agriculture Award (1 recipient).

Governor Kim San stated, “To prepare for COVID-19, preliminary rounds will be conducted non-face-to-face by submitting videos, while the final rounds will be judged face-to-face with only participants and judges present, without spectators. The Seungdal Gugak Festival has matured and developed into a more advanced gugak event year by year, and it is expected to greatly contribute not only to expanding the base of gugak among youth and the general public but also to the development of local culture and arts.”

This year, alongside the 19th Muan Seungdal Gugak Festival, the Master and Famous Singer Memorial World Music Theater Festival will also be held. To provide cultural and artistic enjoyment opportunities to residents, the events will be streamed live on YouTube for viewing.

Muan＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Oh Hwan-joo ohj1358@asiae.co.kr