Singer Kim Janghoon's "Barrier-Free Concert"...Breaking Down Social Prejudice

Seo-gu, Gwangju Holds "Lying-Down Concert" on the 7th
Seogu Aneoseu Supports the Performance, Putting "Good Influence" into Practice

Seo-gu, Gwangju held the disability awareness project 'Kim Janghoon's Concert to Watch While Lying Down' in collaboration with Seogu Aneoseu at Seobitmaru Munhwa Yesul Hoegwan on the 7th, attended by people with severe disabilities and their families and citizens participating in empathy seats. Provided by Seo-gu, Gwangju.

On the 7th, Seo-gu District of Gwangju Metropolitan City presented a moving performance filled with empathy and consideration by holding the barrier-free concert "Kim Janghoon's Lying-Down Concert" for persons with severe disabilities and their families at the Seobitmaru Culture and Arts Center.

"Lying-Down Concert" is a representative barrier-free cultural performance designed so that persons with severe disabilities can enjoy a performance without physical constraints. For this concert, Seo-gu created a "Special Viewing Area" in the space between the stage and the audience seating, allowing persons with severe disabilities and wheelchair users to comfortably watch the performance while lying down.

This performance, in particular, was organized after singer Kim Janghoon, widely known as a "donation angel," visited Seo-gu last December as a lecturer for the Seogu Academy. Deeply resonating with the municipal philosophy and policies of "Good City Seo-gu," he agreed to move the project forward.

Seogu Aneoseu, a group of major donors in Seo-gu, contributed 37 million won in support of this performance, and singer Kim Janghoon also donated his talent, expanding the concert from the originally planned one show to two shows.

Seo-gu placed safety personnel along all major pedestrian routes and made thorough preparations in on-site operations to ensure that movement and viewing were not inconvenient.

In addition, Seo-gu operated "Gonggamjwaseok" (Empathy Seats), which allowed ordinary citizens to watch the performance for 10,000 won. The 3 million won raised through this will be used for cultural welfare programs for local persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups.

About 600 people, including persons with severe disabilities, their families, and citizens, participated in the performance. Pop soprano Han Areum and the gugak duo Minyo Sisters appeared on stage, presenting a high-quality performance that crossed genres from classical music to traditional Korean music and popular music, and received an enthusiastic response. The audience expressed their emotions in their own ways, waving their hands or responding with smiles.

One parent of a child with a disability said, "This is my first time watching a performance with my child, and I am truly grateful that we can enjoy cultural activities so comfortably," adding, "Today will be remembered for the rest of our lives."

Kim Janghoon, who co-planned this performance with the Seo-gu District Office, said, "Lying-Down Concert is a project I personally designed to improve disability awareness, and it is all the more meaningful that it has now grown into a model jointly created under the leadership of local governments," adding, "If local governments across the country were to introduce such a performance even once a year, unfamiliarity and prejudice about disabilities would quickly disappear."

Seo-gu District Mayor Kim Ikang said, "Today, this was not just a performance venue, but a space where we understood and empathized with one another," adding, "We will continue to build Good City Seo-gu, where no one is excluded from culture, where giving becomes a culture, and empathy becomes a part of everyday life."