Seoul City Transforms Summer Festival 'Hangang Mongddang' into Comfort and Healing Festival... Citizen Planning Contest

Applications open until March 23... Up to 25 million KRW project funding for non-profit organizations and corporations

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 22nd that this year’s ‘Hangang Mongttang Summer Festival,’ Seoul’s representative summer festival, will be held as a safe festival suited to the COVID-19 situation, delivering messages of comfort, encouragement, and healing to citizens weary from the pandemic.

The ‘Hangang Mongttang Summer Festival,’ which began in 2013 and is hosted by the Seoul Hangang Project Headquarters, is a representative summer festival featuring a variety of programs each year, including water sports, cultural performances, and ecological experiences.

To create the festival with fresh ideas from diverse citizens, the city is holding the ‘2021 Hangang Mongttang Summer Festival ? Citizen Planning Project Contest’ until the 23rd. Participants can propose ideas to safely enjoy the Hangang River by introducing a walk-through method to the festival, such as appreciating installation artworks placed throughout Hangang parks or creating shaded rest areas spaced at intervals.

The contest theme is ‘Safe Hangang, Perfect Summer.’ Under the goal that all citizens enjoy a ‘perfect summer’ at a ‘safe Hangang’ free from COVID-19, two contest categories are open for submissions: ▲Safe Hangang ▲Programs specialized for Hangang.

‘Safe Hangang’ focuses on citizen-participatory installation art programs and programs for installing and operating socially distanced rest spaces. Proposals may include installation artworks conveying messages of hope, comfort, encouragement, and healing to overcome COVID-19, or rest areas that maintain social distancing in crowded places such as under bridges or picnic areas.

‘Hangang Specialization’ invites programs that actively discover Hangang’s potential cultural and tourism resources. Submissions may include programs that tell stories of Hangang’s history and art, utilize Hangang park facilities, or are themed around Hangang’s natural environment. All programs must comply with COVID-19 prevention guidelines and are planned with a two-track approach to adapt to changes in social distancing levels.

Eligibility for the contest is open to any nonprofit organizations or corporations. Applicants can download the application form from the Hangang Project Headquarters website, complete it, and submit it online through the Seoul City Subsidy Integrated Management System. The selection process consists of a first-round document review and a second-round interview. The first round evaluates eligibility, legal compliance, and feasibility. The second round assesses theme suitability, growth potential, and budget appropriateness to make the final selection and determine support amounts. After related procedures including review by the Local Subsidy Deliberation Committee, projects can receive up to 25 million KRW in funding.

Song Young-min, General Affairs Manager of the Hangang Project Headquarters, said, “In this time when comfort, encouragement, and healing are needed due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, we are making every effort to prepare a festival that respects social distancing so that the Hangang, a resting place for ten million citizens, can be safely enjoyed. We hope many excellent organizations with fresh ideas and execution capabilities participate so that ‘Safe Hangang, Perfect Summer,’ where citizens become hope for each other, can be realized.”

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