Uiseong County Successfully Holds Traditional Agricultural Culture "First Water Release" Event

Development into a Regional Festival Based on National Important Agricultural Heritage
An Attempt to Integrate Rural Tourism and Ecological Culture

Uiseong County in Gyeongbuk successfully held the 6th First Water Release Bountiful Harvest Prayer Event on June 21 at Ungok-ri, Geumseong-myeon, as part of efforts to restore traditional agricultural culture and preserve agricultural heritage.

Uiseong County in Gyeongbuk is holding the First Water Release event.

This event took place in the core area of the "Uiseong Traditional Irrigation Agricultural System," which is designated as a National Important Agricultural Heritage and listed as a World Heritage Irrigation Structure (WHIS). The event was recognized for demonstrating the potential to transform rural cultural resources into regional tourism assets.

The "First Water Release" is a unique agricultural tradition in Uiseong, where, around the summer solstice and after the garlic harvest, irrigation associations gather to pray for a bountiful harvest before the main rice planting begins.

This tradition, where the head of the irrigation association personally pulls seedlings and releases the first water into the rice paddies, faced the risk of disappearing due to improvements and modernization of irrigation conditions. However, it was restored through cooperation between the county and local residents starting in 2020, and this year marks its sixth occurrence.

Notably, this year's event was transformed into a tourism-oriented festival in connection with the "Rural Tree E Tour," a national project funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The event attracted a diverse range of participants, including domestic and international tourists, young people, and local residents. In addition to traditional rituals, various experiential activities such as pungmulnori (Korean traditional percussion performance), hand rice planting, seedling trimming, and washing feet in the first water were offered, increasing public accessibility to agricultural heritage.

Cho Kyungrae, head of the local residents' council, stated, "This event was successfully concluded thanks to the collaboration between the county and local residents, even in inclement weather," and added, "Next year, we will expand the content even further to ensure that agricultural heritage contributes to revitalizing the local economy."

Uiseong County is pursuing a multifaceted strategy for the sustainable preservation and utilization of the "Uiseong Traditional Irrigation Agricultural System," including seeking registration as a UN FAO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS), establishing an open-air eco-museum, training agricultural heritage interpreters, and developing tourism content.

Kim Jusu, Governor of Uiseong County, emphasized, "The preservation and utilization of agricultural heritage cannot be achieved by administrative efforts alone; resident participation and cooperation are essential. As a leading example that combines traditional culture and rural tourism, we will develop this into a globally recognized success model."