Goseong-gun Selected as Host for Next Year's Gaya Cultural Area Regional Development Council Municipal Officials Sports Competition

Goseong-gun, Gyeongnam Province, has been selected as the host for the 2024 Gaya Cultural Area Regional Development Council Municipal Officials Sports Competition.

According to the county on the 16th, Vice County Governor Jo Yong-jeong attended the 28th regular meeting of the “Gaya Cultural Area Regional Development Mayors and County Governors Council” held on the 13th in Jinan-gun, Jeonbuk Province.

Goseong County has been selected as the host location for the next year's Gaya Cultural Area Regional Development Council Municipal Officials Sports Competition.

The “Gaya Cultural Area Regional Development Mayors and County Governors Council” was launched in February 2005 in Hapcheon-gun to promote mutual cooperation and joint development among municipalities in the Gaya cultural area. Currently, it includes 5 metropolitan cities and 24 municipalities, holding regular meetings twice a year.

Notably, this regular meeting celebrated the designation of seven Gaya tumulus sites from seven cities and counties as the 16th UNESCO World Heritage site of South Korea at the 45th World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 24. The meeting also pledged to inherit and develop the spirit of Gaya’s unity through exchanges among the local governments of the Gaya tumulus sites and to actively cooperate in Gaya history research at the council level.

The 24 participating municipalities deliberated on agenda items including ▲selection of the host for the first half of 2024 regular meeting ▲operation of promotional spaces during festivals of Gaya cultural area local governments ▲and the Gaya Cultural Area Regional Development Council Municipal Officials Sports Competition.

Vice County Governor Jo stated that Goseong-gun is at an important point to accelerate the re-advancement of Sogaya, in line with the ongoing “Comprehensive Plan for the Historical City of Sogaya” and the Cultural Heritage Administration’s approval of the “Comprehensive Maintenance Plan for Goseong Songhakdong Tumulus Cluster” last September. Therefore, the county proposed hosting the sports competition, and it was decided that the 2024 Gaya Cultural Area Regional Development Council Municipal Officials Sports Competition will be held in Goseong-gun.

The 2024 Gaya Cultural Area Regional Development Council Municipal Officials Sports Competition will involve about 800 officials from 24 municipalities. It is a competition aimed not at rivalry but at promoting accurate understanding of Gaya history and fostering friendship and harmony among the municipalities.

Goseong-gun plans to explore various measures, including sports events using traditional folk games, and is considering holding the sports competition at the Goseong Songhakdong Tumulus Cluster.