Yeoju Sanbuk Pumsil Festival - Unique Village Competition Held

Formation of 10 Village Representative Teams... 'Sanbuk-myeon HADO Sports Championship'

During the 20th Sanbuk Pumsil Festival, a unique village competition took place.

Yeoju City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 14th that a unique village competition will be held during the '20th Sanbuk Pumsil Festival' on the 19th and 20th.

HADO Sports (AR Dodgeball), established in Sanbuk-myeon, Yeoju City, is the first of its kind in Gyeonggi Province. It is a future-oriented sport based on augmented reality, making it an e-sport that anyone, regardless of age or gender, can easily learn and enjoy. Introduced to Korea five years ago, HADO Sports (AR Dodgeball) faced challenges expanding its base during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, interest has surged explosively this year as new arenas have been created nationwide.

Lee Geon-hwa, chairman of the Sanbuk Pumsil Festival Committee, stated, “We decided to operate the ‘2024 Sanbuk-myeon HADO Sports (AR Dodgeball) Championship’ to increase resident participation through the specialized program of Sanbuk-myeon, HADO Sports (AR Dodgeball), and to elevate the festival into a venue for unity and harmony.” He expressed his determination, saying, "We will do our best to ensure the success of the Pumsil Festival."

The tournament, involving 10 villages, will proceed through a preliminary league followed by a semifinal knockout stage. The winning team will receive a championship flag and a prize of 500,000 KRW, with 300,000 KRW for second place and 200,000 KRW each for the two teams tied for third place. The championship flag is awarded to the winning team each year, and if a team wins three consecutive times, the flag will permanently belong to their village.

Min Byung-kwon, head of Yeoju Challenge Park where the AR Dodgeball arena is installed, has agreed to provide the venue, equipment, and systems for each village’s representative team to practice. He is also instructing on basic equipment usage, game rules, offense, and defense training. The teams are diligently practicing, sweating it out from 6 p.m. until late after their daily work.

Alongside the 20th Sanbuk Pumsil Festival, the inaugural champion of the unique village competition, HADO Sports (AR Dodgeball), is generating additional excitement and anticipation.