'Iksan Sweet Potato (Sun) Please' Character Contest Also Underway
Iksan City in North Jeolla Province announced on July 23 that it will hold the 'Iksan Sweet Potato (Sun) Festival' at the Samgi Nonghyup Local Food Hanaro Mart area from September 6 to 7.
This festival, hosted by Iksan City and organized by the Iksan Culture and Tourism Foundation (CEO Kim Saeman), will be set up as a hands-on event themed around sweet potatoes and sweet potato stems.
On-site, a variety of programs such as jewel sweet potato digging and making sweet potato stem kimchi in a stone jar will be offered, providing visitors with unique and enjoyable experiences.
In particular, there will be a special event where visitors who participate in the opening ceremony wearing 'Ilbaji' (traditional work pants) will receive sweet potato stems for free, adding an extra element of fun for attendees.
Prior to the festival, the city will hold the 'Iksan Sweet Potato (Sun) Please' character hand-drawing contest as a preliminary program. This contest aims to discover promotional characters for the festival through the imagination of young people. Any youth nationwide aged 18 or younger can participate. To enter, participants should submit a drawing of a character, created on paper or a tablet, via email by 6 p.m. on August 7.
The entries will be evaluated through expert judging and a public online vote, and the final winners will be selected. Winners will receive prizes, cash awards, and a certificate from the CEO of the Iksan Culture and Tourism Foundation. For more information, inquiries can be made to the Iksan Culture and Tourism Foundation or to the Dadadiksan Cultural Communication Cooperative.
The city, together with the Iksan Culture and Tourism Foundation, plans to continue developing participatory content utilizing local resources, aiming to create a festival that everyone can enjoy and build together.
Kim Saeman, CEO, stated, "We expect this festival to be an event where visitors can experience the appeal of sweet potatoes and sweet potato stems with all five senses," adding, "We will do our best to ensure everyone can participate and enjoy the festival."
A city official commented, "Sweet potatoes and sweet potato stems are representative agricultural products of Iksan, and we hope that a character embodying the imagination of youth will become the face of the festival through this contest," adding, "We will prepare a festival as sweet and warm as sweet potatoes, so that visitors can come together and enjoy it."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
