Youth Take the Lead!... 'Youth Festival' Held in Seocho, Gwanak, and Songpa Districts

A society where youth are vibrant leads to development.

Various competitions supporting the vigorous challenges of youth for their future are being held one after another.

Seocho-gu Operates Various Programs for ‘Seocho Youth FESTA’ in Celebration of Youth Week

Seocho-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jeon Seong-su) will operate various programs at the ‘Seocho Youth FESTA’ during Youth Week, starting from Youth Day on September 21, to create a happy environment for young people.

First, to celebrate the ‘Seocho Youth FESTA,’ the expanded ‘Young Artists Special Exhibition: SYAF (Seocho Young Artist Festival)’ will be held from September 24 to October 2. Now in its third year, the Seocho Young Artists Special Exhibition provides young artists with opportunities to exhibit and sell their works and supports their growth as professional artists. This year, it will showcase about 106 works by 53 young artists participating in the ‘2024 Youth Gallery Project.’

The special exhibition will be held at the SNUE Art Museum of Seoul National University of Education. The university, a cradle of youth education, has willingly supported the learning and growth of young artists. Visitors will be able to appreciate the works of young artists gathered in a location close to home and share in the passion and vitality of youth.

Notably, this year’s exhibition includes the ‘Under30’ project. This project encourages purchasing artworks priced reasonably under 300,000 KRW by marking them with stickers. It aims to break the stereotype that art collecting is an elite hobby for certain classes and to support young artists through sales. The district office encouraged visitors to look for the stickers on 19 works by 13 artists and enjoy art collecting as a new hobby.

The exhibition opening ceremony, held at 2 p.m. on September 24, will feature ▲ docent tours led by the artists themselves ▲ distribution of catalogs ▲ operation of a photo zone.

Besides the exhibition, ‘Seocho Youth FESTA’ offers various programs for young people to enjoy. On September 23 at the Seocho Youth Center, an economic lecture will be held where Song Hee-gu, author of ‘The Story of Manager Kim Who Owns a House in Seoul and Works at a Large Corporation’ and a YouTuber with 110,000 subscribers, will thoroughly answer young people’s questions about subscription savings and real estate investment.

On September 26, an Overseas Employment Concert will take place. The concert includes ▲ introduction to overseas employment support systems by the Human Resources Development Service of Korea ▲ employment lectures by current employees of global companies ▲ 2:2 open mock interviews with current interviewers ▲ ‘small group mentoring’ sessions with current and former employees of global companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Starbucks, providing guidance for young people aspiring to work abroad.

Any young person aged 19 to 39 residing or active in Seocho-gu can participate, and applications can be made through the Seocho Youth Center website.

Jeon Seong-su, Mayor of Seocho-gu, said, “To celebrate Seocho Youth Week, we have prepared various programs that can make young people happy. I hope they will have meaningful time by pursuing their dreams as artists through the exhibition and gaining information in areas of interest such as economy and employment.”

‘2024 Gwanak Youth First Meeting Sports Day’ Successfully Held

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) held the ‘2024 Gwanak Youth First Meeting Sports Day’ on the 21st, providing a venue for Gwanak youth to share sweat and laughter and foster exchange.

The district held the event at the alternative gymnasium of the Gwanak-gu Citizens’ Sports Center, offering young people opportunities to break down communication barriers and build new solidarity through various cooperative missions and games.

This event was newly planned by the district during ‘Gwanak Youth Week’ to establish a foundation for exchange that leads to the Gwanak Youth Festival, rather than a simple one-time meeting.

Fifty young people participated from various youth organizations and communities in the district, including ▲ Gwanak Youth Network ▲ Gwanak YouScrew ▲ youth clubs, either actively involved or interested.

A total of 13 individual and team events and recreational activities were held in two sessions, including ▲ Roll the Earth ▲ Wave Riding ▲ Shoe Archery ▲ Three-legged Race. Participants experienced the joy of healthy competition while also enhancing competitiveness through cooperation.

One young participant said, “I am glad to make new connections with other young people in Gwanak-gu, where there are many single-person youth households,” adding, “I want to take an interest in and participate in various youth activities in our region going forward.”

The district plans to continue supporting active social activities of youth and promote various programs to strengthen youth networks, starting with this sports day.

Additionally, it will regularly communicate with youth organizations to discover customized policies reflecting the ideas and passion of young people.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “I expect the youth network in Gwanak-gu to become stronger and the sense of belonging among youth to the local community to increase through the sports day,” adding, “We will continue to spare no support to empower young people’s lives to create a ‘city where youth want to live.’”

Songpa-gu Hosts ‘YAHO Festival’

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) held the ‘YAHO Festival,’ a youth artist festival, around Seokchon Lake on the 21st in celebration of Youth Day.

The ‘YAHO Festival (Young Artists’ HOsu festival)’ is a participatory festival planned and executed directly by young artists active in the region.

In its third year, this year’s festival carries the subtitle ‘Rest:Art.’ It embodies the meaning of reflecting on oneself through rest (‘Rest’), communicating with the world through art (‘Art’), and preparing for a new beginning (‘Restart’).

The festival was divided into areas around Seokchon Lake for ▲ exhibitions ▲ film screenings ▲ performances ▲ side events, offering a variety of sights and entertainment.

At the grassy steps of Seokchon Lake East Lake, 35 paintings in various genres such as illustration and Oriental painting were exhibited. Rest areas were arranged between the artworks to allow visitors to take a break from their tiring daily lives. At the ‘Hosu’ cultural experimental space at Seokchon Lake, visitors could also see 20 works including paintings, photographs, and videos.

At 2 p.m., the grassy steps transformed into a unique book talk stage. Actor Ahn Hyun-jin hosted a session where picture book author Han Yeon-jin, children’s book author Kim Gi-rin, and illustrator artist Showby shared stories behind their representative works and answered readers’ questions.

At the ‘Atelier’ on the west side of Seokchon Lake, six films reflecting the concerns and efforts of young film directors were screened. After the screenings, there were opportunities for conversations with the directors. At 3 p.m., director Yoo Ji-in of the film ‘Cone’ met with the audience, and at 4:50 p.m., director Yeo Seon-hwa of the film ‘The Stars Whisper’ held a session.

The waterside stage at Seokchon Lake East Lake was set up as a performance venue. Busking and main concerts featuring young artists from various fields such as classical music, vocal music, and fusion gugak (traditional Korean music) were held. The main concert concluded with the rock band ‘Jeonpasangsa,’ in which actor Lim Won-hee is the vocalist, showcasing the vitality of youth with lively melodies and lyrics.

Additionally, an art market promoting artworks such as resin art, postcards, and handmade keyrings, along with food trucks, added to the festival’s fun.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “‘YAHO Festival’ is a precious opportunity for young artists to step up as professional artists,” adding, “I hope many people attend to show interest and support for young artists and experience the healing power of art.”