[Seoul District News] Yongsan-gu, Tips to Fully Enjoy the Itaewon Global Village Festival on the 15th-16th & Participation of 31 Foreign Embassies in Korea Matching the Festival's Prestige & Unique Viewing Points Only at Itaewon Festival & Feedback Dance Contest, DJ Party, Cooking Itaewon, Antique Photo Zone & Wake Up Sleeping Tumblers, Ssudam Street Campaign and More as the 'First Step of Environmental Festival' ... Mapo-gu, Starting at 9 AM on the 15th from Peace Plaza in World Cup Park for the 15th Mapo Naru Salted Shrimp Festival
Photo of the Samba Parade at the Itaewon Global Village Festival in 2019, before the outbreak of COVID-19
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The autumn festival season is here, and after three years of setbacks due to COVID-19, local festivals are stretching their wings again. Among them, the most unique festival might be the ‘Itaewon Global Village Festival’ where people from around the world come together. This year, 31 embassies are participating, adding to the charm of Itaewon as a ‘global village within Korea.’
Yongsan-gu (Mayor Park Hee-young) introduced key points for fully enjoying the Itaewon Global Village Festival this weekend.
Under the slogan ‘We, Meet Now,’ the festival kicks off at 11 a.m. on the 15th with a Taekwondo demonstration on the main stage and continues nonstop with diverse programs until the closing concert at 6:30 p.m. on the 16th.
The district highlighted must-see programs including ▲Global Village Parade ▲Traditional Culture Performance National Competition World Culture Awards ▲Cooking Itaewon ▲DJ Party ▲Feedback Dance Contest.
The Global Village Parade, departing from Hangangjin Station at 3 p.m. on the 15th, is the festival’s highlight. Over 1,000 participants from 32 teams, including 10 countries such as the Philippine traditional performance group which won the 2019 World Culture Awards Grand Prize, will take part.
The ‘Traditional Culture Performance National Competition’ featuring 14 embassies is also exclusive to the Itaewon Global Village Festival. The preliminaries are on the 15th, and the finals on the 16th at the main stage.
At 4 p.m. on the 16th, the Antique Stage will showcase a Ukrainian traditional performance, adding deeper meaning to the global festival. At the same time, the Performance Zone near the main stage will host a stage by the UNESCO ICM International Martial Arts Demonstration Team.
The World Food Zone set up on Itaewon-ro is a popular feature of the festival. During the festival, 45 representative restaurants from areas such as World Food Street, Islamic Street, and Nigeria Street will offer exotic dishes at affordable prices.
True to the festival’s global village name, Itaewon-ro will have traditional culture experience booths from 14 countries, and Bogwang-ro will host national promotion halls from 26 countries. Visitors can enjoy traditional cultural experiences and various traditional crafts by country.
‘Cooking Itaewon’ is also uniquely prepared. On the 16th at 3 p.m. at the main stage, star chef Mikael from Bulgaria will demonstrate making traditional Bulgarian dishes. Visitors can also taste the dishes made by Mikael on site.
For those wanting to fully enjoy the energy of ‘youth,’ the ‘DJ Party’ and global dance contest ‘Feedback’ are recommended.
The DJ Party, held from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the 15th and 16th around Itaewon Station, features Korea’s top DJs based in Itaewon. The global dance contest ‘Feedback’ will be held on the Hot Stage from 5 p.m. on the 16th.
Every scene captured by cameras will become a memory, but for unique records, visit the Antique Stage. Models dressed in antique props and medieval European costumes are expected to attract tourists’ attention. From 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the 15th, an auction involving antique furniture street merchants will also be an attraction.
A useful tip is to visit the Leeum Museum of Art, which is within a 5-minute walk from the festival site. During the festival, the permanent exhibition is free, and special exhibitions are available at a 50% discount.
Finally, since Itaewon-ro and Bogwang-ro will be fully closed during the festival, the use of public transportation such as subway (Itaewon Station, Noksapyeong Station) or buses is recommended.
Adding meaning to the festival’s fun with environmental awareness
This year, the festival is reborn not just as an event to enjoy but also as one that considers the global agenda of ‘environment.’ As a first step toward an eco-friendly festival, the district prepared campaigns such as ▲Wake Up Sleeping Tumblers ▲Ssudam Street Campaign.
To minimize the use of disposable products, the ‘Wake Up Sleeping Tumblers’ campaign is underway. The district will set up a separate booth during the festival to lend donated tumblers to participants free of charge. Those who bring their own tumblers can get free drinking water from water stations installed within the festival grounds.
A tumbler and reusable cup donation box was installed in advance at the second-floor civil service office of the district office to collect unused tumblers from employees, residents, and local businesses. Notably, the local company HYBE also decided to donate tumblers to support a successful eco-friendly festival.
The ‘Ssudam (picking up trash while walking) Street Campaign’ is a lifestyle practice campaign to reduce disposable product use. Yongsan-gu employees, residents, student volunteer groups from Osan High School and Sookmyung Women’s University, and environmental organizations participate, picking up trash while going back and forth between Itaewon Station and Noksapyeong Station.
The campaign will be held twice: at 2 p.m. on the 15th and 10 a.m. on the 16th. The district mayor will participate both days, picking up trash alongside participants to raise awareness of environmental importance.
Yongsan-gu Mayor Park Hee-young said, “This year’s festival is significant as the first step toward an environmental festival. It is a process of finding improvements and will be expanded further in the future. We hope this small wing flap of the environmental campaign will have a positive influence on other festivals as well.”
The district also focuses on maintaining a pleasant festival environment by continuously separating recyclables, general and food waste during the festival, installing temporary street trash bins, and assigning management personnel. After the festival, all possible manpower and collection vehicles will be deployed for thorough trash collection.
Mapo-gu (Mayor Park Kang-soo) will hold the ‘15th Mapo Naru Salted Shrimp Festival and 2022 Mapo Residents Walking Contest’ at 9 a.m. on the 15th at the Peace Plaza in World Cup Park, where all residents can enjoy health promotion and the autumn atmosphere.
Responding to the recent surge in demand for ‘walking trips that feel like travel with just one step,’ this walking contest, which will provide a break from the tiring daily life due to COVID-19, will be held as a large-scale on-site festival for the first time in three years during the ‘15th Mapo Naru Salted Shrimp Festival,’ offering various sights, activities, and food to participants.
Any Mapo resident can participate, and those wishing to join can register online (Mapo-gu Sports Council), by phone, or on the day of the event.
The walking contest course is 4.7 km, starting from Peace Plaza, passing through the Metasequoia Road in Sky Park, arriving at Sky Park, and returning along the silver grass path back to Peace Plaza, taking about one hour.
Mapo-gu Mayor Park Kang-soo said, “I hope this event will be an opportunity to relieve stress accumulated during the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic by breathing in the refreshing natural air,” and added, “We also hope for much interest in the 15th Mapo Naru Salted Shrimp Festival, which is being held on a large scale for the first time in three years.”
Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced that it will hold the ‘2022 Bukhansan Han (Korean) Culture Festival’ on the 15th and 16th at the 2nd parking lot of Bukhansanseong in Jingwan-dong.
The ‘Bukhansan Han Culture Festival’ is Eunpyeong-gu’s representative autumn festival aimed at revitalizing the only Han culture experience special zone in Korea, including Eunpyeong Hanok Village and Bukhansanseong. This year marks the 10th festival, held for the first time in three years since COVID-19.
The festival consists of various traditional cultural events and performances such as a hanbok fashion show, traditional food experience, traditional games experience booths, and folk culture performances. There will also be experience booths to enjoy diverse Hallyu culture and a celebratory performance stage.
On the 15th at 4 p.m., the festival opens on the main stage at the 2nd parking lot of Bukhansanseong with fusion gugak (traditional Korean music) and traditional art performances. Following the opening ceremony, a hanbok fashion show by Kang Jong-soon, director of the Hanbok Research Institute, will be held. The celebratory concert will feature stars such as Park Ki-young, Flower’s Ko Yoo-jin, Travel Sketch, Bae Il-ho, and Kang Tae-kwan.
On the 16th at 3 p.m., another ‘celebratory performance’ will take place, showcasing outstanding singers including Moses, Shin Nara, Moon Cho-hee, and Kim Myung-sun.
During the festival, Han culture experience booths operate from noon to 4:30 p.m. Visitors can enjoy traditional games like jegichagi and tuho, as well as hanbok, traditional tea, and snack experiences suitable for the whole family. Agricultural product sales booths operate from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Eunpyeong-gu Mayor Kim Mi-kyung said, “We have prepared a festival in Bukhansan, a great place for outings in autumn, where families and acquaintances can enjoy together,” and added, “We hope many residents will show interest and participate.”
Jongno-gu (Mayor Jeong Moon-heon) will hold the ‘Insadong Autumn Music Concert with Pungnyu Daejang’ at 4 p.m. on the 16th at the outdoor stage in Naminsa Madang, Insadong.
This event is organized to introduce the deep charm and diverse appeal of our traditional Korean music to citizens.
The concert, featuring a crossover of gugak (traditional Korean music) and popular music, will be solidly prepared with performances by Seodo Band, the final winner of JTBC’s ‘Pungnyu Daejang - War of Hip Sound Masters,’ gugak rock group Eoks who reached the TOP 6, and the pungmul band Isang.
On the day, Seodo Band will perform ‘Arirang,’ ‘Sarangga,’ ‘Boat Song,’ and ‘Ganggangsullae,’ while Eoks will present ‘Pumba,’ ‘Pungnyeonga,’ ‘Saetaryeong,’ and ‘Katuri Taryeong.’
Additionally, band Isang will debut the Jongno-gu promotional song ‘Eolsigu Jongno’ on stage, along with ‘Daltaryeong,’ ‘Pride,’ and ‘That Dance in the Rhythm.’
‘Eolsigu Jongno,’ the first crossover gugak promotional song attempted among Seoul’s 25 autonomous districts, will be used for promoting Jongno-gu at various local events and will be produced as a music video and uploaded online. The district expects this to spark a second fusion gugak syndrome following the hit ‘Beom Naeryeonda’ by the band Dayeanchi.
Jongno-gu Mayor Jeong Moon-heon said, “We have prepared a high-quality gugak crossover performance that people of various ages can enjoy. We hope many will come and enjoy it under the cool autumn sky this weekend,” and added, “We will lead the revival of gugak and take the lead in preserving traditional culture.”
Seoul Jung-gu (Mayor Kim Gil-sung) will hold a dried seafood beer festival at Sinjungbu Market to blow away stress.
The 5th annual dried seafood festival will take place on the 14th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. around Gate 2 of Sinjungbu Market. Jungbu Dried Seafood Market is the largest dried seafood specialty market in Korea. This event is organized by the Sinjungbu Market Merchants Association to promote the market widely and establish its position as a tourist market.
It is notable that merchants themselves participated in developing side dishes. Side dishes such as dried filefish and dried pollack, which pair well with beer, will be offered in small packages at affordable prices. Beer will be provided free of charge to all visitors. A stage with saxophone and popera performances is also prepared, blending with the autumn atmosphere to enrich the festival.
Jung-gu Mayor Kim Gil-sung said, “Come to Sinjungbu Market, enjoy quality side dishes and beer, and have an exciting ‘Friday night.’”
There is a zelkova tree that has protected a village for over 700 years. Residents hold a festival every year under the tree, praying for the village’s well-being.
One of the oldest zelkova trees in Seoul and designated as Seoul Special City Monument No. 2, the 700-year-old zelkova tree in Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho), was the site of the ‘2022 Neutimaeul Hanmadang Festival’ held on the 13th.
Marking its 9th year, the Neutimaeul Hanmadang Festival was organized to pray for the development and harmony of the village under the 700-year-old zelkova tree that steadfastly protects Hwayang-dong residents.
The festival began at 1 p.m. with the ‘Zelkova Tree Prayer Ceremony,’ attended by about 500 people including Gwangjin-gu Mayor Kim Kyung-ho, key guests, and the residents of Hwayang-dong, the main participants of the event.
The following trot music stage and fan dance celebration performances were full of attractions, and residents strengthened their unity through traditional folk game competitions such as arm wrestling.
Dance and Korean dance stages polished through community center programs and the ‘Hwayang Residents Song Festival’ allowed residents to fully express their talents, creating a lively and warm atmosphere where all residents united as one.
Traditional tea and coffee sharing, traditional Korean sweets and rice cake making booths prepared at one side of the venue offered various foods, while experience booths such as calligraphy, making companion plant pots, and psychological counseling added diverse entertainment.
An elder attending the festival said, “They said this tree was already 700 years old when I was young, so it must be almost 800 years old now. Today is a good day because all residents gather to receive the sacred energy of the tree. I hope Hwayang-dong will become more harmonious and prosperous.”
Gwangjin-gu Mayor Kim Kyung-ho said, “The history and strength of the 700-year-old zelkova tree seem to always protect Hwayang-dong,” and added, “We will spare no support to help the Neutimaeul Hanmadang Festival of communication and harmony develop further.”
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