Hampyeong Butterfly Festival Canceled Due to COVID-19 Spread Concerns

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] The Hampyeong Butterfly Festival has been canceled due to the spread of COVID-19.

This is the second time in history since the 2014 Sewol Ferry Disaster (which caused the cancellation of the 16th festival).

On the 18th, Hampyeong County announced that it decided to cancel the butterfly festival, judging that it could not forcibly proceed with the festival in a situation where the safety of residents and tourists was threatened.

Marking its 22nd year this year, the Hampyeong Butterfly Festival is a representative spring festival in Korea, attracting more than 300,000 tourists annually.

This year, it was scheduled to be held from April 29 to May 10.

However, due to the prolonged infectious disease emergency, including the continuous occurrence of COVID-19 confirmed cases, this decision was made.

Recently, with the successive outbreaks of cluster infections in Seoul and other metropolitan areas, the county explained that the cancellation was inevitable considering the possibility of regional infection spread.

However, the '42nd Hampyeong County Residents' Day Commemoration Ceremony,' which was scheduled to be held during the festival period, has been tentatively postponed for the time being, considering the purpose and symbolism of the event.

Na Yoon-su, Acting Mayor of Hampyeong County, said, "After comprehensively reviewing the nationwide atmosphere for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and the opinions of local residents, we made the difficult decision to cancel," adding, "We will prepare more meticulously from now on so that this year's regret can lead to the successful hosting of next year's Butterfly Festival."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.