Hwasun-gun Hosts the 20th National Gugak Competition

A Gateway to Discovering and Promoting National Gugak Masters, Masters, and New Talents

Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do announced on the 4th that the National Gugak Grand Festival, hosted by the Hwasun Gugak Promotion Association, will be held at the Hanium Culture and Sports Center in Hwasun-gun from August 19 to 20.

The National Gugak Grand Festival was established to inherit gugak (traditional Korean music) in the heart of Jeollanam-do, a region proud of the history of modern and contemporary traditional cultural arts, to enhance the public's understanding and interest in gugak, and to discover and nurture talented individuals who will become key figures in the development of gugak.

This year marks the 20th National Gugak Grand Festival, and applications will be accepted for 15 days from August 3 to 17.

Applications are free for the student division, which includes elementary, middle, and high school students, as well as the rookie division, while the general division requires a participation fee of 50,000 KRW.

On the first day, the 19th, the preliminary rounds will begin at 9 a.m., with competitions held in five categories: pansori, instrumental music, folk songs, dance, and gobeop (traditional percussion music).

The finals will be held on the 20th at 9 a.m. for those who pass the preliminaries, and a congratulatory performance is scheduled to take place from 2:40 p.m.

Awards will be presented to winners, including the Speaker of the National Assembly Award, Prime Minister Award, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award, Minister of Education Award, Governor of Jeollanam-do Award, Hwasun County Governor Award, and Chairman of Hwasun County Council Award, along with honorary certificates and prize money up to 3 million KRW.

An official from the county stated, “We are pleased that the National Gugak Grand Festival, representing traditional culture, continues to be held in Hwasun, discovering excellent talents and maintaining the legacy of the hometown of refined music.” He added, “We hope participants from across the country will showcase their gugak skills at this year’s festival.”