National Gayageum Competition to Be Held in Gurye

May 3-4: 311 Teams and 319 Participants Nationwide
14 Categories Including Gayageum Sanjo, Byeongchang, and Creative Works

Gurye-gun, Jeollanam-do announced on April 23 that the 23rd Gurye National Gayageum Competition, organized by the Gayageum Byeongchang Preservation Society (Chairman Kang Jeongsuk), will be held over two days from May 3 to 4.

This competition will be divided into elementary, middle, and high school divisions, rookie division, university division, and general division, with participants from across the country competing in 14 categories, including Gayageum Sanjo, Byeongchang, and creative pieces. Applications for participation closed on April 20, with 311 teams and 319 individuals applying from all over the country.

The National Gayageum Competition, organized by the Gurye Gayageum Byeongchang Preservation Society (Chairman Kang Jeongsuk), will be held from May 3rd to 4th. Participants from elementary, middle, and high school divisions, rookie division, university division, and general division from across the country will compete, showcasing high-level performances in a total of 14 categories including Gayageum Sanjo, Byeongchang, and creative pieces. Provided by Gurye-gun

In particular, the grand prize winner in the general division will receive the Presidential Award, the gold prize winner will receive the Administrator of the Cultural Heritage Administration Award, and the grand prize winner in the university division will receive the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award. In addition, a special celebratory performance marking the 23rd anniversary of the competition will be held at 5 p.m. on May 2 at the Seomjin Art Hall, the day before the competition begins.

This performance will be hosted by the traditional music artist Lee Yera, and will feature a rich program including Gayageum Sanjo, Byeongchang, creative performances, the one-act musical drama 'Baengpajeon', and performances by local artists such as the Honam Women's Nongak Preservation Society.

Kim Soonho, the mayor of Gurye-gun, stated, "Gurye, the hometown of master Gayageum Sanjo musician Seo Gongcheol, is a place where nature, art, and culture come together," and added, "We hope that the value of our traditional music will shine even brighter through this competition."