Opening of 'Eunpyeong-gu Pabalje' with Drones

[Seoul District News] Eunpyeong-gu to Hold Performance Delivering News via Drone Instead of Horse from Gupabal Meeting Plaza to Bulgwangcheon Special Floating Stage on October 2... Seocho-gu Sends Fusion Gugak Band ‘Rock Dream’ to Perform at Paris 15th District’s Friendly City Festival ‘2022 Korean Expo’

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced that it will hold the representative cultural festival of Eunpyeong-gu, the ‘Pabalje Opening Ceremony,’ at the Gupabal Meeting Square in Jingwan-dong on October 2.

Eunpyeong-gu, historically called Yangcheon-ri, is located at the center of the Korean Peninsula, stretching a thousand ri north to Uiju and a thousand ri south to Busan. It was the starting point from Hanyang (Seoul) through Gaeseong and Pyongyang to China.

‘Pabalje’ is a festival commemorating and inheriting Tongil-ro, the main route through which northern culture and goods were transmitted in the past. It has been held since 1996 with hopes for reunification, continuing its tradition.

At 1 p.m., the ‘Pabalje Opening Ceremony’ will be held at Gupabal Meeting Square, marking the official start of the festival.

This year, instead of horses as messengers, drones will be flown in a drone parade leading to the main stage at Bulgwangcheon.

Traditional play experiences such as archery, spinning a beonna (a traditional Korean spinning top), and jegichagi (a traditional Korean shuttlecock kicking game) will be available for people of all ages to enjoy together.

From 3:30 p.m., the ‘World in Eunpyeong’ themed ‘World Culture Parade’ will take place on the special water stage at Bulgwangcheon main stage.

Starting with a beautiful musical performance with the ‘Seoul Saxophone Orchestra,’ about 700 participants including local residents and foreigners will showcase traditional costumes, music, and dances from 16 countries in the ‘World Culture Parade.’

From 7 p.m., the ‘Pabalje and Eunpyeong Nuri Festival Integrated Opening Ceremony’ will be held.

The integrated opening ceremony will feature a ‘drone light show’ decorating the night sky beautifully, along with various orchestra performances and musical shows suited to the autumn night atmosphere.

‘The Music Swanee Pops’ will perform grand orchestral renditions of familiar songs such as the Spanish classic ‘La Paloma’ and ‘Beautiful Rivers and Mountains.’ The ‘Eunpyeong Boys and Girls Choir’ will present vocal and musical performances fitting the autumn night mood.

Kim Mi-kyung, Mayor of Eunpyeong-gu, said, “I hope this festival becomes a place where ordinary daily spaces are transformed into a festival ground, and based on voluntary participation of residents, it becomes a festival where people meet people and people meet nature.”

Seocho-gu presents the charm of ‘Cultural and Artistic City Seocho’ and ‘K-Culture’ to the citizens of Paris, France.

Seocho-gu (Mayor Jeon Seong-su) announced that it will dispatch the fusion gugak (traditional Korean music) group ‘Rock Dream,’ composed of graduates from Korea National University of Arts, to the ‘2022 Korean Expo,’ a representative Korean cultural festival held in the 15th arrondissement of Paris from October 1 to 2.

The 15th arrondissement of Paris is a sister city of Seocho-gu. Since 2017, it has held the annual ‘Kimchi Festival’ introducing kimchi to the French, and Seocho-gu has sent samulnori (traditional Korean percussion) performance groups to this event. From this year, the event was renamed ‘2022 Korean Expo’ to develop into a festival showcasing a wider variety of Korean culture. Seocho-gu responded by dispatching a fusion gugak group to enliven the event and promote unique Korean culture.

This event includes ▲K-pop and samulnori performances ▲a cooking contest themed on kimchi ▲exhibitions of Korean industries such as food, beauty, and electronics.

The gugak group ‘Rock Dream’ (photo) will perform modern interpretations of traditional Korean music such as ‘Gunbam Taryeong’ and ‘Monggeumpo Taryeong,’ introducing the charm of Korean music to Paris.

At the start of the event, a congratulatory video message from Seocho-gu Mayor Jeon Seong-su will be broadcast on the screen at the 15th arrondissement town hall plaza, introducing Seocho-gu to tens of thousands of Paris citizens attending the event and promoting the strong friendship between the two cities.

Since signing a letter of intent for friendship and cooperation with the 15th arrondissement of Paris in July 2016, Seocho-gu has continued various exchange activities including ▲university student exchange programs between the two cities ▲planting a friendship commemorative tree in the ‘Paris 15th District Park’ in Seocho-gu’s Seorae Village in 2019 ▲holding video conferences on COVID-19 response measures in 2020.

Next month, six university students from the 15th arrondissement of Paris will visit Seocho-gu for the ‘Seocho Study’ program, which includes Korean language training, cultural experiences, and tours of Seocho-gu.

Seocho-gu was recognized for its diverse public diplomacy activities and was the only Seoul autonomous district selected as an excellent local government in the ‘2021 Local Internationalization Best Practices Contest’ hosted by the Korea Association of Governors.

Seocho-gu Mayor Jeon Seong-su said, “I hope the ‘2022 Korean Expo,’ a meaningful opportunity to showcase Korean culture, will be successfully held,” and added, “I hope this festival will be a good opportunity to strengthen the friendship between the 15th arrondissement of Paris and Seocho-gu.”