Gwangju Dong-gu Appoints Hwang Woonki as General Director of the Chungjang Festival of Memories

Hwang Unki, newly appointed General Director of the Chungjang Festival.

On January 5, Gwangju Dong-gu District announced that Hwang Woon-ki, former General Director of the Powerful Daegu Festival, has been appointed as the new General Director for the 23rd Gwangju Chungjang Festival of Memories.

General Director Hwang is a festival expert who has been recognized for his outstanding achievements in festival planning and overall operations, having served six times as General Director of the Powerful Daegu Festival. In addition, he is regarded as Korea's leading parade festival director, with both theoretical and practical expertise, having served as the chief director of the Wonju Dynamic Dancing Carnival and earned a Ph.D. in Performing Arts for his pioneering research on Korea's first parade festival.

This appointment follows the early announcement of the next festival's theme, "Songs of Memories," at the closing ceremony of the 22nd Chungjang Festival. The selection process was moved up this year to secure advanced planning and execution capabilities. General Director Hwang plans to dedicate himself to the Chungjang Festival, focusing on enhancing its quality and professionalism.

Previously, starting in November of last year, Gwangju Dong-gu formed a pool of about 16 candidates for the General Director position. Through a multi-faceted verification process, including candidate interviews, analysis of press releases, assessment of suitability for the Chungjang Festival, and individual meetings with relevant experts and candidates, Hwang Woon-ki was ultimately selected as General Director.

The district expects that General Director Hwang's expertise and extensive experience in parade directing will serve as a driving force to elevate the Chungjang Parade, the festival's core content, to a level that draws attention not only from Gwangju but also from around the world.

General Director Hwang stated, "Based on my accumulated experience in planning and directing parade festivals, I will vividly bring to life the theme 'Songs of Memories,' which captures the precious memories and emotions of Gwangju citizens. To create a true festival where citizens can participate, walk together, and sing together, I will introduce new initiatives and highly refined programs centered on the Chungjang Parade."

A Dong-gu official commented, "With the theme for 2026, 'Songs of Memories,' confirmed immediately after the last festival ended, this appointment will allow us to enhance the depth of our planning and accelerate festival preparations. In line with the theme, which was chosen through direct citizen participation, we will make thorough preparations for citizen participation programs and the Chungjang Parade, the festival's core content."