A Gugak Concert Held at Gaksimjae Sungdeokdang Area in Wolgye 2-dong, Nowon-gu

[Seoul District News] Nowon-gu to Present Traditional Performance, LED Dance, Folk Song and Jazz Collaboration Stage Hosted by Gugak Star Park Aeri on the 26th at 7 PM ... Yangcheon-gu Offers Diverse Cultural Programs Including Family Experiences, Performances, and Film Screenings at Paris Park ... Seocho-gu Wins Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award at Korean Cultural Value Awards

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will hold a premium Gugak concert at Gaksimjae, an old house in Wolgye 2-dong, at 7 p.m. on August 26.

Gaksimjae is a Seoul-designated cultural property located in Wolgye 2-dong. The presence of a hanok preserving the old atmosphere within an apartment complex creates a serene ambiance in itself. The district plans to showcase a Gugak jazz concert that harmonizes tradition and modernity to the residents, highlighting the cultural value of Gaksimjae and the local atmosphere.

Now in its second year, the theme of the old house concert is ‘Harmony and Comfort.’ The performance was planned to comfort residents who have been unable to enjoy leisure activities due to COVID-19 and to narrow the emotional distance between neighbors that widened due to social distancing.

The concert, consisting of three parts, will begin with hosting and a congratulatory performance by the most popular Gugak star, master singer Park Ae-ri. In the first part, the traditional performance group ‘THE Gwangdae’ will take the stage. They weave various traditional performances such as humorous storytelling, lion dance, pungut, beornanori, and sangmonori into one piece.

In the second part, the non-verbal performance groups ‘Saengdonggam Crew’ and ‘Ara Dance Company’ will perform, combining Gugak-based b-boying with dazzling LED effects. The stage will reenact the Korean traditional content of goblin stories and the Hwaguam dance, illuminating the dark night with splendid LEDs.

The third part features a performance blending folk songs and jazz. The renowned singer ‘Lee Hee-moon,’ who draws attention with every stage, jazz band ‘Prelude,’ and male singer group ‘Nomnom’ will collaborate in the performance titled ‘Korean Men.’

The concert is expected to last about two hours and will conclude with a closing performance by master singer Park Ae-ri. This concert, harmonizing modern technology and performance based on Gugak, is expected to be a place of community harmony that residents of all ages can enjoy.

Admission to the concert is free. No prior registration or reservation is required, and 300 seats will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 6 p.m. on the 26th. Additional information about the performance can be found on the Nowon Cultural Foundation website.

To ensure safe viewing, the district will comply with government COVID-19 prevention guidelines and continuously remind attendees to wear masks and observe viewing etiquette during the performance.

Nowon-gu is making various efforts to present high-quality performances and exhibitions to residents with the goal of becoming a cultural city. At the gallery next to the Gyeongchun Line Forest Trail, a popular walking path for residents, the ‘Masterpieces of Modern Art Exhibition’ featuring original prints by masters of modern art will be held until September 18.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “The Gaksimjae Old House Concert is a special outdoor concert unique to Nowon-gu that preserves the local atmosphere and ambiance. We have prepared a diverse stage that everyone, young and old, can enjoy, so please come and enjoy the show.”

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Lee Ki-jae) announced that it will operate a ‘Summer Special Cultural Program’ for four days from the 24th to the 27th at two locations, Paris Park and Neomeundeul Park, so that the whole family can create unique memories together in nearby parks.

Paris Park, Experience France in Yangcheon-gu! ‘Bonjour, Paris Park’

From August 24 to 26, the Salon de Paris at Paris Park Community Center will host a three-day program under the theme ‘Bonjour Paris Park,’ offering various experiential activities, film screenings, and performances that allow visitors to feel French culture and sentiment.

Permanent corners include board games, travel photo exhibitions, and drip coffee experiences, along with unique programs such as woodworking to make wine glass holders, French perfume making, and French language classes learned through wine.

Additionally, French culture-themed films such as ‘Eiffel’ and ‘Burgundy, Life Found in Wine’ will be screened, and a bandoneon (accordion) performance is scheduled, promising to immerse visitors in an exotic atmosphere. Especially, a sweet glass of wine will be offered before the films and performances to provide a culturally rich late summer evening.

Neomeundeul Park, A Cool Farewell to Summer! ‘Neomeundeul Park Summer Story’

Neomeundeul Park, loved by many residents as a cozy book resting place like a forest lodge, will hold various special programs on the 27th to reminisce about summer. Using the book resting place interior and outdoor experience area as stages, programs such as ▲bead crafts ▲woodworking experience with dads ▲summer scent diffuser making ▲rescue the dinosaur in the glacier will be offered. Also, Neomeundeul Park will be transformed into a summer cinema, screening animations and family movies loved by children.

Residents wishing to participate in the summer special cultural programs at Paris Park and Neomeundeul Park can make reservations in advance by accessing the Naver cafe ‘Neomeundeul Park Book Resting Place’ and Paris Park Community Center ‘Salon de Paris.’

Lee Ki-jae, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, “Through this ‘Summer Special Cultural Program,’ I hope families can create precious memories together in nearby urban parks where nature and culture harmonize, and feel the importance of green spaces.”

Youth Busking

Seocho-gu has been recognized as the local government with the most outstanding cultural and artistic capabilities nationwide.

Seocho-gu (Mayor Jeon Seong-su) announced that it was the only basic local government to receive the ‘Grand Prize’ Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award at the ‘2022 Korea Cultural Value Awards.’

This marks the third consecutive year of winning, following the grand prize in 2020 and the excellence award in 2021, reflecting Seocho-gu’s differentiated cultural policies to expand residents’ opportunities to enjoy culture and arts.

The ‘Korea Cultural Value Awards’ have been held annually since 2019 to evaluate local governments nationwide on their distinctive cultural and artistic policies and projects, aiming to enhance the competitiveness of cultural value.

The evaluation criteria focused on policies and projects that contributed to satisfying residents’ cultural needs during the COVID-19 era, comprehensively assessing ▲organizational capacity ▲project characteristics ▲project performance.

In this evaluation, the district was recognized for developing differentiated cultural content for various groups such as seniors, youth, single-person households, and infants based on untact administration, and for building diverse cultural infrastructure to meet residents’ cultural needs.

Representative cultural and artistic projects include efforts to alleviate residents’ depression amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic: ▲‘Seocho Friday Concert’ and ‘Seocho Chamber Music Concert,’ relay performances by young artists ▲‘Home Delivery Class,’ providing cultural and educational experience kits at home ▲‘My Autonomous Community Center in My Hand,’ a non-face-to-face cultural program ▲the nation’s first metaverse technology-based ‘Senior Metaverse Mini Concert’ and ‘Metaverse Art Exhibition.’

Moreover, Seocho-gu has achieved remarkable results in expanding large-scale cultural infrastructure by creating urban cultural spaces that blend everyday life and galleries to make culture accessible to all. These include ▲‘Urban Canvas Project,’ an experiential gallery in the city using masterpieces ▲‘AR Gallery Shelter,’ augmented reality murals under the Yangjaecheon bridge ▲‘Construction Site Temporary Fence Design Project,’ creating streets where culture breathes ▲and ‘Seocho Instrument Street Revitalization’ to foster the nation’s only classical music hub, contributing to improving residents’ quality of life.

Specialized cultural and artistic policies for various groups were also implemented: ▲expanding ‘Neutinamu Shelter,’ a cultural and leisure complex for seniors, and operating ‘Saeroyi Community,’ a communication and cultural space for seniors ▲‘Seoripul Youth Art Gallery’ to discover and improve the creative environment for emerging young artists ▲‘Single Single Culture Class’ tailored for single-person households ▲and the nation’s first public indoor playground for infants and toddlers, ‘Smart Seoripul Nori School.’

Jeon Seong-su, Mayor of Seocho-gu, said, “It is meaningful that various cultural and artistic policies promoted by Seocho-gu during the COVID-19 situation have yielded good results. We will continue to discover high-quality cultural and artistic content and create ‘Global Cultural and Artistic City Seocho,’ where culture becomes part of everyday life.”