Songpa-gu's Representative Festival 'The 21st Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival' Held

From the 1st to the 20th, the 'Daebaekje Festival' will be held in exchange with Baekje cultural cities such as Gongju, Buyeo, and Hanam... The stage expands across the entire district including Seoul Nori Madang, Seokchon Lake, and Songpa Dullegil... Opening and closing ceremonies, light festival, and online parade will be held both online and offline

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su), where the Baekje royal palaces Pungnap Earthen Fortress and Mongchon Earthen Fortress are located, is hosting the “21st Hansung Baekje Cultural Festival: Great Baekje Exhibition,” allowing people to experience the culture of the Baekje era from 2,000 years ago both online and offline.

The “Hansung Baekje Cultural Festival” is a festival that lets visitors experience the brilliant culture and history of Baekje rooted in Songpa, Seoul. The district has held the Hansung Baekje Cultural Festival since 1994, inspired by the fact that among the 679 years of Baekje history (BC 18?AD 660), the Hansung Baekje period, when the capital was located in Songpa, lasted the longest at 493 years and marked the peak of Baekje as a maritime power.

This year, the festival is prepared under the theme “Cultural Powerhouse Hansung Baekje, Songpa Connecting the World” as the “Great Baekje Exhibition.” The three Baekje capitals?Hansung, Ungjin, and Sabi?correspond to today’s cities of Songpa, Gwangju, Hanam, Gongju, Buyeo, and Iksan, which together form the Baekje historical and cultural area. The “Great Baekje Exhibition” symbolizes opening a space for exchange and cooperation with the spirit of Daetong (大通, Great Communication).

Considering the COVID-19 situation, the district will hold various festival events dispersed throughout the district at Seoul Playground, Seokchon Lake, Songpa Dullegil, and other locations. A total of 15 programs across 3 categories will be held both online and offline from October 1 to 20.

□ Announcing the Beginning of ‘Daetong (大通) Baekje’! Representative Programs

The “21st Hansung Baekje Cultural Festival: Great Baekje Exhibition” is the first festival based on the exchange and cooperation declaration among Baekje historical and cultural cities made on June 23. To this end, the district prepared performances from cities such as Gongju and Buyeo in various representative programs so that residents can experience diverse Baekje cultures.

On the eve of the festival, October 7 at 6 p.m., the Baekje Ancient Tomb Festival (Dongmyeongje) will be held at Seoul Playground to pray for the end of COVID-19 and the restoration of daily life for the ancestors. The next day, a sacred fire lighting ceremony will be held at Pungnap Baekje Cultural Park to mark the start of the festival.

The opening ceremony will take place on October 8 at 6 p.m. at Seoul Playground, broadcast live without an audience on Songpa TV’s YouTube channel. Performances will include the theme show “Gaecheon Byeokje,” a haegeum collaboration by the Hansung Gugak Orchestra, and “Mimaji Tal-i Onda” by the Choi Seon Dance Troupe from Gongju. The sacred fire lit at Pungnap Baekje Cultural Park will be joined by the sacred fires from Jeongjisan in Gongju and Cheondeungsan in Buyeo in a flame lighting performance, highlighting the significance of the Great Baekje Exhibition.

The closing ceremony will be held on October 10 at 6 p.m. at Seoul Playground, featuring exchange performances such as Buyeo’s “Baekje Yeonmu” and the theme performance “Mongchonji Mong.”

□ Revitalizing Residents Weary from COVID-19! Various Special Non-Face-to-Face Programs

To help residents exhausted by COVID-19 safely enjoy and gain vitality, a variety of special programs will be offered.

From October 6 to 20, the “Great Baekje Light Festival” will take place. Various Baekje cultural zone sculptures can be seen illuminated along Songpa Dullegil. Especially, in front of the waterside stage at the east lake of Seokchon Lake, a 10-meter-tall Chilstigi (Seven-Branched Sword) water sculpture will be displayed, accompanied by a daily laser show from 7 to 9 p.m. during the festival, providing a special spectacle. The lighting ceremony will be held on October 6 at 7 p.m.

Additionally, programs such as the family-friendly “Great Baekje Golden Bell Quiz (10.9),” “Great Baekje Cultural Exchange Special Performance (10.9),” and “Songpa Arts Group Special Exhibition (10.1?20)” will be held around Songpa Dullegil and Seokchon Lake.

□ Safely Enjoy a 2,000-Year-Old Time Travel! Online Programs

Representative online programs include the “Great Baekje Online Parade” and “Hansung Baekje Cultural Festival with ZEPETO.”

Last year’s “Great Baekje Online Parade,” which pioneered a new paradigm for the festival, has been further developed this year by implementing the actual Olympic-ro street in 3D modeling. Participants create Baekje costumes through various missions and dress their avatars to march along Olympic-ro, offering an experience akin to walking the real street.

“Hansung Baekje Cultural Festival with ZEPETO” recreates the Peace Plaza of Olympic Park, where the festival has traditionally been held, in an online environment. Using the popular metaverse platform “Naver ZEPETO,” it is the first domestic festival to be conducted as a hybrid (online and offline) event.

Residents can participate as characters, exploring the Peace Gate Plaza and enjoying the festival. A metaverse festival promotional hall exhibiting photos from the past 20 years of the festival will also be operated.

Songpa-gu Mayor Park Seong-su stated, “The 21st Hansung Baekje Cultural Festival: Great Baekje Exhibition will be a COVID-19 overcoming festival that revitalizes residents weary from the pandemic and supports various stages for local cultural artists. We will successfully conclude this Great Baekje Exhibition, held in cooperation with Baekje cultural cities, to deliver hope through culture to residents and create a successful festival model suited for the new era.”

For over 20 years, the “Hansung Baekje Cultural Festival” has aimed to be an experiential historical and cultural festival, operating differentiated content to re-examine the strong spirit and brilliant culture of Baekje, which had been relatively overlooked among the ancient Three Kingdoms. It has been recognized with the Korea Festival Content Award for six consecutive years (2016?2021).