[Seoul District News] Gangbuk-gu to hold 10th event from April 9-19 at National 4·19 Democratic Cemetery and Gangbuk-gu area under the slogan 'Connecting Hope Beyond Generations' to honor the 4·19 Spirit... Gwangjin-gu supports Dream Start children's job experience activities
Last year, Park Gyeom-su, the mayor of Gangbuk-gu, delivered a greeting with the stage background showing a video of the April 19 Revolution (April 18, 2021).
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Kyum-soo) will hold the ‘4·19 Revolution National Cultural Festival 2022’ for 11 days from April 9 to 19 across Gangbuk-gu, including the National 4·19 Democratic Cemetery, Gangbuk Culture and Arts Center, and Gangbuk-gu Office Intersection.
The 4·19 Revolution National Cultural Festival is an event to commemorate the students and citizens who resisted injustice with a passion for democracy in 1960 and to honor their spirit of sacrifice. Since 2013, it has been jointly hosted around April 19, the anniversary date, by Gangbuk-gu, the 4·19 Democratic Revolution Association, the 4·19 Revolution Victims’ Families Association, and the 4·19 Revolution Meritorious Persons Association.
This year marks the 62nd anniversary of the 4·19 Revolution and the 10th time the event has been held.
Under the slogan “Connecting Hope Across Generations,” this cultural festival will feature various programs that revisit the values and development process of the 4·19 Revolution in detail. It is planned to facilitate communication across all generations and will conduct diverse events in four key areas: core, national, globalization, and support.
The district announced that with nine years of accumulated know-how in managing the cultural festival, it will safely and substantively carry out the 10th 4·19 Revolution 62nd Anniversary National Cultural Festival this year.
■ New Programs for the 10th Anniversary of the 4·19 Revolution National Cultural Festival
Marking the 10th anniversary of the 4·19 Revolution National Cultural Festival, from April 9 to 10, a 1-night, 2-day event called ‘4·19 Democracy Road’ will be held at the Uidong Family Camping Site. This event is linked with the ‘Pilgrimage Trekking with Captain Um Hong-gil’ program and offers various activities that families can enjoy together.
Besides trekking, participants can join mountain experience programs with children at the ‘Mountain Culture HUB’ and ‘BAC Center,’ and after evening hours, 4·19 recreation and cultural performances will continue into the night.
After the overnight stay, participants will have free time to enjoy various permanent experience programs and diverse food offerings in the Uiryeong Forest Cultural Village.
■ Trekking the Bukhansan Pilgrimage Trail with Captain Um Hong-gil on the First Day
On the first day of the event, April 9, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., the ‘Pilgrimage Trekking with Captain Um Hong-gil’ will take place at the National 4·19 Democratic Cemetery and Bukhansan Dullegil Trail. This program involves walking approximately 4.2 km from the National 4·19 Democratic Cemetery to Bonghwanggak in Uidong with mountaineer Captain Um Hong-gil.
To commemorate the 4·19 Revolution, the event will be conducted by dividing 419 general citizens into eight groups. The district expects this course to offer fun participation as it connects with the ‘You and Me and Us’ healing tour walking trail established in 2017.
■ Reaffirming the Spirit of 4·19 to Students...
On April 10, the ‘9th National Student Drawing and Writing Contest’ will be held at the National 4·19 Democratic Cemetery from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. The drawing contest will feature 419 elementary students nationwide, and the writing contest will include 200 5th and 6th graders and middle school students nationwide, showcasing their skills online. The contest themes relate to patriotism and democracy, and winners will be announced on the website on April 19.
Additionally, on April 16 at the Gangbuk Culture and Arts Center from 1 p.m., the ‘5th National Student English Speech Contest’ will be held. Youth and middle and high school students nationwide can participate individually or in teams of 2-3, with all topics related to the 4·19 Revolution. The individual grand prize winner will receive 500,000 KRW, and the team grand prize winner will receive 1,000,000 KRW.
The ‘9th National University Student Debate Contest’ will also be held on April 17 at the Gangbuk Culture and Arts Center Grand Theater. Under the theme ‘Youth Speak Democracy,’ university students will engage in passionate debates on politics, economy, society, and culture, discussing current social issues and solutions. The event aims to deeply discuss the reappraisal of the 4·19 Revolution, sharing democratic values with future generations, and exploring future development plans.
This year, before the finals, a special debate session will invite five past winners to discuss topics such as the impact of the debate contest on themselves and their views on democracy in South Korea from a societal perspective. Each winner will present their views for 10 minutes.
The four finalist teams will each have 5 minutes for free presentations, 15 minutes for designated debates, followed by a panel discussion led by the moderator. The finals will conclude with closing remarks and a Q&A session. Five professors specializing in domestic politics, economy, and social fields will judge the contest.
The district continues to hold these contests to educate students about the significance of the 4·19 Revolution and plans to expand student participation by introducing more diverse programs.
■ Promoting the Uniqueness of the 4·19 Revolution Globally
This year marks the 5th International Academic Conference, continuing programs for the globalization of 4·19. The conference will be held online on April 15 at Hanshin University Seoul Campus Chapel.
The district invited eight professors from home and abroad for this conference. Professor Lee Ki-ho (Hanshin University) will chair the meeting, and overseas presenters include Monty Narayan Datta (Associate Professor, University of Richmond, USA), David Mitchell (Assistant Professor, Trinity College Dublin, UK), and Yu Yun Wayuningrum (ASEAN Human Rights Commission Representative, Indonesia), who will present on democracy in their respective countries.
Following the presentations, Professors Nam Young-ho (Shinhan University), Ahn Byung-jin (Kyung Hee University), Kim Chan-ho (Democratization Movement Memorial Foundation), and Kim Aram (Hallym University) will conduct a comprehensive discussion based on the overseas presentations.
Through this conference themed ‘The Crisis of Global Democracy and the Spirit of the 4·19 Revolution,’ the district plans to academically reexamine the global historical significance and value of the 4·19 Revolution.
Additionally, the ‘Foreigners’ 4·19 Exploration Group’ program will operate for two days from April 18 to 19. Through activities such as the Hwagsa Temple Stay and the 4·19 Eve event, 22 foreigners will be introduced to the global significance of 4·19.
Beyond the National Cultural Festival, the district publishes the 4·19 academic materials in Korean and English editions, distributing them to academic institutions nationwide as well as prestigious universities and libraries worldwide. It also strives to register 4·19 Revolution records as UNESCO World Documentary Heritage, exploring various ways to promote the 4·19 spirit globally.
■ Eve Event on April 18 and Official Ceremony on April 19 to Conclude the Festival
On April 18, the day before the 4·19 Revolution anniversary, the eve event and official ceremony will be held. The event will begin with the ‘Memorial Service for the Sacrificed Spirits’ at the National 4·19 Democratic Cemetery to honor the martyrs.
The main event venue will be set up on the road from Gangbuk-gu Office Intersection to Gwangsan Intersection, covering approximately 600 meters. This area will be completely closed to vehicle traffic from 1 a.m. on April 18 until 5 a.m. on April 19.
Before the official ceremony, 37 diverse programs will be held at the venue to inherit the 4·19 spirit, including ‘Blood Donation Relay,’ ‘1960s Nostalgia Experience Booth,’ ‘4·19 Butterfly Balloon Distribution and Face Painting,’ ‘4·19 Emblem Goods Making Experience,’ ‘4·19 Photo Wall ? Youth to Youth,’ and ‘Citizen Participation Contest Programs.’
Also, the ‘4·19 Revolution Theme Exhibition Hall’ will be established to convey the historical backgrounds of four categories: ‘Daegu 2·28 Democratic Movement,’ ‘Daejeon 3·8 Democratic Uprising,’ ‘Masan 3·15 Uprising,’ and ‘4·19 Revolution.’
From 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., outdoor cultural performances including Samulnori (traditional percussion), theater performances, local youth bands, and busking will heat up the eve event.
Starting at 7 p.m., the official eve event and Rock Festival will begin, filling the cultural festival with excitement. The official ceremony will proceed with a ritual dance for the sacrificed spirits, introduction of guests, progress report, commemorative speech, and opening performance. After the official ceremony, celebratory performances by Dynamic Duo, Norazo, Baek Ji-young, Kim Yeon-ja, Cherry Bullet, and others will follow, enjoyable for all generations.
On the final day, April 19, the festival will conclude with the ‘62nd Anniversary 4·19 Revolution Commemoration Ceremony’ at the National 4·19 Democratic Cemetery, attended by state guests and related organizations.
For the past two years, due to COVID-19 prevention measures, the ‘4·19 Revolution National Cultural Festival’ was held online and scaled down. However, this year, the district will implement phased quarantine guidelines to safely conduct the festival and widely promote the significance of the 4·19 Revolution beyond Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, and nationwide to the world.
Mayor Park Kyum-soo of Gangbuk-gu said, “The 4·19 Revolution is compared to the English Glorious Revolution, the American Independence Revolution, and the French Great Revolution, attracting global attention. I believe that the 4·19 Revolution is the root of democracy that has been a great driving force behind South Korea’s remarkable development from a recipient to a donor country. This is why we must devote ourselves to inheriting and developing the spirit of 4·19.”
He added, “This event is composed of various programs that allow citizens and students to take a closer look at 4·19. We hope many people will show interest and participate in this event to honor the noble spirit of sacrifice of the revolution and pass it on to future generations.”
Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Seon-gap) supports the ‘Career Exploration Job Experience’ activity, a Dream Start program, for 81 vulnerable children’s households, totaling 178 individuals.
Dream Start is a project that provides customized integrated services to vulnerable children to promote their healthy growth and development and ensure equal starting opportunities so that anyone can grow into a healthy and happy member of society.
The district has prepared the ‘Career Exploration Job Experience’ as an outdoor program for Dream Start in 2022, offering children and families under case management the opportunity to explore various careers at the job experience center ‘KidZania Seoul’ until May.
A total of 178 participants, including 96 Dream Start children and 82 guardians, will participate as families, exploring various jobs suited to the children’s perspectives and finding careers that match their aptitudes.
KidZania is a facility where children can experience jobs in a studio similar to real life, operating 54 diverse job experience studios including public office experiences such as police station, customs office, national tax office, fire station, and unique experiences like dinosaur fossil museum, forensic CSI, refugee support center, robot research lab, and ramen research lab.
Here, children can freely choose and experience jobs they have been interested in, learning about the value and fulfillment of work.
Also, as children and guardians participate together, it is expected to be an opportunity for the whole family to discuss and contemplate the child’s future, fostering harmony.
Mayor Kim Seon-gap of Gwangjin-gu said, “I hope this experience motivates children to challenge and strive for their future dreams,” and added, “We will continue to discover various programs to support the healthy and happy growth of vulnerable children.”
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