Gwangju Dong-gu Selected as the Only Local Area for the 'Regional Specialized International Event Contest Project'

The 1st Buskers World Cup in Gwangju

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Im Taek) announced on the 20th that the ‘1st Buskers World Cup in Gwangju’ has been selected for the ‘2022 Regional Specialized International Event Contest Project.’ It is the only one in the region.

This project is hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Tourism Organization.

It was prepared to revitalize regional tourism by providing attractions and entertainment to domestic and foreign visitors using regionally specialized tourism resources.

The Korea Tourism Organization accepted applications from April 6 to 29 from local governments nationwide, Regional Tourism Organizations (RTOs), associations, and private organizations for cultural arts, leisure activities, and recreational events involving more than 50 foreigners (from at least two countries).

After the first document screening, second on-site inspection, and presentation (PT) evaluation by judges, events from five organizations were finally selected as ‘2022 Regional Specialized International Events.’

The selected local governments will receive a budget of 60 million KRW and promotional support from the Korea Tourism Organization.

Dong-gu plans to use this budget to provide a Gwangju tourism city tour benefit, including four courses in the Mudeungsan Gasaculture Area, for buskers who advance to the finals of the ‘1st Buskers World Cup in Gwangju.’

Along with this, Dong-gu decided to extend the application period to provide more musicians striving for their dreams with participation opportunities by linking the ‘1st Buskers World Cup in Gwangju’ with the international event contest project.

Originally, the ‘1st Buskers World Cup in Gwangju’ was scheduled to accept applications until the 7th of this month, but due to overwhelming interest and inquiries from countries around the world, the application period was extended.

The extended application period is until the 27th, and applicants must submit a video of their performance activities along with the application form on the Buskers World Cup website.

The competition will select 120 teams to advance to the finals through an online preliminary screening (July 1 to August 4), followed by a live tournament competition (October 8 to October 17). On the last day of the Chungjang Festival, October 17, the final 16 teams will fiercely compete to win the first prize of 100 million KRW.

For more details, refer to the Buskers World Cup and Gwangju Dong-gu Office websites.

Mayor Im Taek of Dong-gu said, “With the extended application period, we expect many world-class musicians to participate in the ‘1st Buskers World Cup in Gwangju’ competition,” adding, “We hope this competition becomes a global stage where buskers who love music and are full of talent can fully express their passion and skills.”