Jung-gu, Seoul Unveils “Yi Sun-sin 1545” City Brand
Festival to Be Held on Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s Birthday in April Starting Next Year
The first-ever Yi Sun-sin Festival, held this year, concluded successfully with around 20,000 visitors in attendance. On October 26, Jung-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Kim Gilseong) announced that a diverse group of visitors and residents from various generations and nationalities participated in the “2025 Yi Sun-sin Festival,” which took place near the birthplace of Admiral Yi Sun-sin on October 25, reaffirming the significance of “Jung-gu, the birthplace of Admiral Yi Sun-sin.”
Participants of the Yi Sun-sin Festival performance are showcasing a horizontal bar performance. Provided by Jung-gu.
The festival unfolded vibrantly along the streets stretching from Euljiro 3-ga Station to the Myeongbo Art Hall and PJ Hotel. The event kicked off with a high-energy atmosphere, featuring a B-boy performance by the Navy PR Team and a traditional percussion performance.
Jung-gu’s new city brand, “Yi Sun-sin 1545 Jung-gu,” was also officially launched. Inspired by the year of Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s birth, 1545, this brand symbolizes Jung-gu as the starting point of a great history that embraces a hero.
Various resident-participation programs were held throughout the event site. At the Myeongbo Art Hall Plaza, the unveiling ceremony for the collaborative art project “Drawing Yi Sun-sin · Dreaming Yi Sun-sin,” which involved over 120 residents, revealed a large-scale painting of young Yi Sun-sin. The most popular event, the “Ironman Yi Sun-sin Contest,” featured endurance competitions on rowing machines, jump rope, and pull-ups, drawing enthusiastic cheers from the audience.
Additionally, the food zone “Sunshin FIELD,” featuring renowned Jung-gu restaurants such as Geum Dwaeji Sikdang and Taegukdang, as well as traditional market vendors, was bustling with crowds throughout the event. In the “Yi Sun-sin Table Culinary Productization Contest,” a variety of creative dishes inspired by the Admiral’s spirit were showcased, with the grand prize awarded to Team Myeongnyangmoja for their turtle-shaped yakgwa and gamtae (seaweed fulvescens) dish.
There were also performances for families to enjoy, including puppet shows, a horizontal bar performance, and a celebratory concert by singer Kim Taeyeon. The Navy PR Team heightened the festive atmosphere by opening and closing the event.
Kim Gilseong, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, “This festival was a meaningful occasion to engrave Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s courage and wisdom into today’s Jung-gu. We will do our best to ensure that the Yi Sun-sin Festival, created with and for the residents, becomes a source of pride for Jung-gu and that Jung-gu, the birthplace of a hero, can reach out to the world.”
Starting next year, Jung-gu plans to hold the festival on April 28, in celebration of Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s birthday.
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