Songpa-gu 'Style Run With Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival' Held

[Seoul District News] Plans to Create a New Festival Combining Songpa-gu's 'Hanseong Baekje Marathon' and Lotte Department Store's 'Style Run' ... Yongsan-gu to Host '2022 Pacific Tango Championship' from 26th to 28th ... On 26th at 7:30 PM, Dongdaemun-gu Women's Choir to Hold 21st Regular Concert with Theme 'Beautiful Companionship on a Midsummer Night' at UOS Art Hall, University of Seoul Music Hall ... Gangseo-gu to Hold Busking Performances on Magok Culture Street Starting 25th ... Gangnam-gu and Korea Art Gallery Association Sign 'Gangnam Art-KIAF Linked MOU'...

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) will hold the ‘Style Run With Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival’ on October 2nd at 7:30 AM at the grassy plaza of Jamsil Lotte World Tower World Park.

This event is co-hosted by Songpa-gu and Lotte Department Store, combining the existing Songpa-gu ‘Hanseong Baekje Marathon’ and Lotte Department Store’s ‘Style Run’ to create a new festival.

As this is the first gathering in a long time due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, various enjoyable activities such as photo zones, face painting, and sports taping will be featured, highlighting the characteristics of both events. Above all, participants can run wearing unique costumes reflecting their own style, adding great fun.

The event will start from the grassy plaza at Lotte World Tower World Park and proceed along two courses (7km and 12km) around the outskirts of Olympic Park, with major road traffic controls in place. All participants will receive various souvenirs including running T-shirts, sports gym bags, hairbands, socks, and Bluetooth speakers. An after-party with special invited guests will also be held.

Registration opens on August 29th at 10 AM through the official event app ‘Runable’. A total of 5,000 participants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, and the participation fee is 30,000 KRW for both courses.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “Running on the main roads of Seoul in unique costumes that highlight individuality will be a time to gain both health and enjoyment,” adding, “I hope this event becomes a place of harmony and celebration for participants and residents.”

Yongsan-gu (Mayor Park Hee-young) will host the ‘2022 Pacific Tango Championship’. The competition will take place over three days from the 26th to the 28th at the Yongsan Art Hall Grand Theater Mir, with the opening ceremony at 6 PM on the 27th.

The event is organized by the Korea Tango Cooperative (KTC) and sponsored by Yongsan-gu and the Argentine Embassy in Korea. A district official explained, “Since 2019, we have been discussing hosting the event with the Argentine Embassy located in the area. As this is the first event in three years due to COVID-19, many domestic and international players will participate.”

The ‘Pacific Tango Championship’ hosted by Yongsan-gu serves as the Asia-Pacific regional qualifier for the ‘World Tango Championship (Tango Buenos Aires Festival Y Mundial)’ to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the second half of this year. About 250 players from 15 countries including Australia, Taiwan, and Singapore will compete in six categories including Escenario, Milonga, and Vals.

Anyone can watch the competition without prior registration. Admission is free.

Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “If Brazil has Samba, Argentina has Tango,” adding, “Hosting this world-class event in our district will help further strengthen our status as an international cultural city.”

Tango originated in the border region between Argentina and Uruguay in the 1880s as a partner dance and was designated as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in August 2009.

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) Women’s Choir will offer a moving time to residents with beautiful harmony on a midsummer night.

The Dongdaemun-gu Women’s Choir will hold its 21st regular concert titled ‘A Beautiful Journey on a Midsummer Night’ on July 30th at 7 PM at the UOS Art Hall in the Seoul National University of Science and Technology Music Hall.

This concert is the first in-person regular concert since the outbreak of COVID-19, and a variety of collaborative performances have been prepared to provide residents with diverse sights and greater enjoyment.

Choreographer Kim Soo-young, who has won awards at the Seoul International Choreography Festival, directed this concert. Special appearances will be made by tenor Kang Mu-rim, violinist Yoon Yeom-gwang, flutist Lee Jun-seo, and percussionist Park Jung-min, enriching the performance.

In response to the recent resurgence of COVID-19, thorough quarantine measures have been put in place. All staff and performers will participate only after testing negative on a COVID-19 self-diagnosis kit on the day of the performance. Audience members will be guided to wear masks and sanitize their hands before entry.

The concert is open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis without prior reservation, and admission is free.

The Dongdaemun-gu Women’s Choir was founded in 2000 and currently has about 30 members. Residents interested in joining can contact the Dongdaemun-gu Office’s Culture and Tourism Department.

Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, “Since its founding, the Dongdaemun-gu Women’s Choir has enhanced the district’s prestige by participating annually in regular performances, various competitions, and consolation performances,” adding, “We will continue to devote attention and effort to creating a happy Dongdaemun-gu based on rich cultural content.”

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Kim Tae-woo) will present street music concerts to comfort residents weary from COVID-19.

The district announced that busking performances will be held from the 25th until September 15th at Magok Cultural Street near Exit 1 of Balsan Station.

Under the theme ‘Unleash Your Charm,’ this event aims to increase residents’ opportunities to enjoy culture and promote Magok Cultural Street.

Starting with ‘The New Jazz Band’ on the 25th, upcoming performances include acoustic band ‘Ondo’ and ‘Bomyeoreum’ on September 1st, indie band ‘Bunrisugeo’ on September 8th, and ‘Choi Woo-in’ and ‘Oneulmalgeum’ on September 15th, offering lively stages.

Considering the area’s popularity among younger generations, the performances will feature genres such as jazz, indie music, and popular songs, expected to receive enthusiastic responses from audiences.

Performances will take place every Thursday from 7 PM to 8 PM and are free to attend. They can also be enjoyed live on Gangseo-gu Office’s official YouTube channel, iGangseoTV. More details can be found on the Gangseo-gu Office website under ‘Notices/News.’

Mayor Kim Tae-woo said, “This event was organized to energize residents struggling due to COVID-19 and to support artists facing economic difficulties,” adding, “We will continue to actively work to make Gangseo a place full of culture and arts through diverse events like this.”

Since 2020, the district has been developing Magok Cultural Street, a 1km green corridor connecting Balsan Station to Magok Station, to build local cultural infrastructure and revitalize culture and arts.

Gangnam-gu (Mayor Cho Sung-myung) signed a business agreement with the Korea Gallery Association on the 23rd at the district office to support ‘KIAF Seoul (September 2?6)’ held at COEX and ‘KIAF Seoul Plus (September 1?5)’ held at SETEC, and to revitalize ‘Gangnam Art.’

Through this agreement, the ‘Gangnam Art Promotion Hall’ will be available at the largest domestic art fair ‘KIAF Seoul’ held at COEX from September 2 to 6.

Gangnam Art is an exhibition tour project planned by Gangnam-gu in collaboration with about 120 local galleries to expand citizens’ opportunities to experience culture and arts and to revitalize the local economy. From August 26 to September 6, visitors who place exhibition viewing certification stickers on leaflets distributed at 25 galleries in Sinsa, Apgujeong, and Cheongdam areas and visit the COEX information desk can receive KIAF Seoul admission tickets and eco-bags in collaboration with artist Lee Mi-jung.

Since April last year, Gangnam Art has presented various exhibition tour projects including gallery tours, curated exhibitions, and art concerts. Starting with this 10th season, it will conduct public art projects in collaboration with talented domestic artists. The district selected artist Lee Mi-jung, who expresses everyday life and trends as universal values, as the first Gangnam Art artist and collaborated on Gangnam Art streetlight banners and the design of the Gangnam Art Promotion Hall at KIAF Seoul.

KIAF Seoul, organized by the Korea Gallery Association since its opening in 2002, is the largest international art fair in Korea, celebrating its 21st edition this year. Last year, it recorded a record high of 88,000 visitors and sales of 65 billion KRW. Starting this year, it will be co-hosted for five years with the UK’s ‘Frieze,’ one of the world’s top three art fairs, marking the first such collaboration in Asia.

Cho Sung-myung, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, said, “With KIAF Seoul co-hosting with the world-class Frieze from this year, global attention is focusing on Gangnam in the art market,” adding, “Gangnam-gu will strive to widely promote Gangnam’s status as a ‘hub of international art exchange’ through active and differentiated cooperation with the Korea Gallery Association.”

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is operating the ‘2022 Youth World Culture Experience’ program, allowing elementary school students in the district, exhausted from the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, to experience and feel various cultures of the world.

The ‘2022 Youth World Culture Experience’ is a program that moves away from rigid theoretical classes to hands-on cultural experiences from various countries, as part of after-school education support projects.

It was designed to help youth spend their weekends usefully while understanding the diversity of world cultures and fostering creativity.

Since its debut in 2013, the ‘Youth World Culture Experience’ program has received enthusiastic participation from youth and warm responses from parents. Especially this year, it has attracted much attention as it is being held again after three years due to COVID-19.

Since August 6th, every Saturday, under the guidance of professional instructors, participants have been exploring cultures of neighboring countries such as Japan through cultural exploration and folk games, playing Hawaiian ukulele, learning Swiss yodeling, and making Dutch windmill piggy banks, among other diverse cultural experiences.

Additionally, discussions on topics such as race, religion, climate, and geographical environment are held to easily and enjoyably understand the unique cultural differences of each country.

The program runs for eight sessions until September 24th at the ‘Gwanak-gu Lifelong Learning Center’ and concludes on October 8th with a ‘Culture Event Created by Youth’ at the Gwanak-gu Office plaza, where students showcase what they have learned.

The district expects that by structuring all programs around practice and experience, students will actively participate and develop communication skills and creativity through discussions and event preparations.

Park Jun-hee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, said, “I hope that youth exhausted by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic will have a healing time by experiencing world cultures through engaging experiential classes rather than rigid theoretical lessons,” adding, “We will continue to develop and support various after-school education programs to provide students dreaming of the future with opportunities for career exploration and self-development.”