‘A Step Toward Hope’... ‘2021 Gangnam Festival’ Held Simultaneously Online and Offline

Live Broadcast of 'Yeongdong-daero K-POP Concert' Featuring Rain from October 1-10, NCT127, LABOUM, and More... Delivering a Message of 'Comfort and Hope'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jeong Soon-gyun) will simultaneously hold the ‘Ontact 2021 Gangnam Festival’ both online and offline from October 1 to 10 under the theme ‘A Step Toward Hope.’

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Gangnam Festival consists of seven upgraded programs in the ontact format following last year, delivering messages of comfort and hope to daily lives exhausted by COVID-19.

Depending on the program, real-time viewing is available through the Gangnam-gu Office YouTube channel, Naver TV, Naver Shopping, and the K-POP YouTube channel (1theK).

The Gangnam Festival will open spectacularly on the 1st with a media show titled ‘The Gangnam, The Great Journey,’ utilizing advanced technologies such as lasers, lighting, sound, and media facade. Performances depicting Gangnam’s past, present, and future will be shown on 11 large outdoor LED screens including Samsung-dong COEX SM Town.

On the following day, October 2, a ‘Digital Commerce Fashion Show’ will be held where viewers can purchase designers’ works in real time while watching the fashion show. The fashion show, set against major landmarks of Gangnam, can be enjoyed via the Gangnam-gu Office YouTube channel and Naver Shopping.

Three elegant artistic performances will also be featured. On the 5th, ‘A Musical Journey to the World’ composed of highlights from operas representing Germany, Spain, Italy, and China; on the 7th, an outdoor musical ‘Seongjong, Song of the King: Akhak Gwebeom’ performed at Seonjeongneung, a UNESCO World Heritage site; and on the 8th, ‘Autumn Festival with the Gangnam Orchestra’ will be broadcast live.

The special media art exhibition combining media and art, ‘Light of Gangnam,’ will be presented for the first time this year from the 6th to the 10th at the temporary exhibition hall in the east plaza of COEX.

The finale will be the ‘Yeongdong-daero K-POP Concert,’ celebrating its 11th anniversary this year. The K-POP concert, which was watched online by 12 million people last year, will be held on the special rooftop stage at COEX at 7 p.m. on the 10th to support the world weary from COVID-19. Popular singers Leeteuk and Tiffany will host the event. Artists representing K-POP such as Rain, NCT127, ITZY, Brave Girls, and LABOUM will perform, creating a unique stage incorporating AR technology.

Jeong Soon-gyun, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, said, “During the 7th elected term, Gangnam-gu has focused on branding and upgrading the Gangnam Festival to make it a festival representing not only Korea and Asia but the entire world.” He added, “We will continue to instill the perception that ‘Gangnam is truly different’ to people worldwide through high-quality cultural programs.”