Andong City to Host the 27th Dosan Byeolgwa Daejeon, the Only Local State Examination of the Joseon Dynasty

[Asia Economy Yeongnam News Bureau, Reporter Lee Dongguk] The 27th Dosan Byeolgwa Daejeon, hosted by North Gyeongsang Province and Andong City and organized by the Andong Cultural Center, will be held both in-person and online in early September.

This event, which was canceled last year to prevent the spread of COVID-19, is scheduled to take place as an in-person event at 11 a.m. on September 2 in the front yard of Dosan Seowon. However, this plan may change depending on the trend of the pandemic.

The Dosan Byeolgwa, the only local state examination of the Joseon Dynasty, was established to honor the academic virtue and legacy of Master Toegye and to select talented individuals. It was first held in 1792 at the direction of King Jeongjo, who revered Master Toegye as a true scholar. To commemorate and reenact its historical significance, the Dosan Byeolgwa Daejeon has been held annually since 1994, marking its 27th edition this year.

The 'Ground Hanshi Poetry Contest,' a non-face-to-face event of the Dosan Byeolgwa Daejeon, will use as its theme "Reflections on Reading Master Toegye's Diagram of Great Learning," one of Master Toegye's Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning. Unlike previous years, when participants gathered on-site for the exam, this year entries will be accepted in advance by mail until Tuesday, August 24, and winners will be selected through judging.

Notably, this year, new programs are being introduced to allow not only the elderly, who have traditionally been the main participants of the Dosan Byeolgwa Daejeon, but also children, teenagers, and young and middle-aged adults to take part. This is part of efforts to ensure participation from all generations in the era of COVID-19.

The 'I Am Also a Scholar: Five-Line Korean Poem Contest' (theme: "Morning at the Sisa-dan") will be divided into adult and student categories, with awards presented to 105 participants. In addition, those who achieve perfect scores on the five-question 'Dosan Byeolgwa Conquest Quiz,' which covers Master Toegye, Dosan Seowon, and the Dosan Byeolgwa Daejeon, will be selected by lottery to receive mobile coupon prizes.

Anyone can easily participate in these events using QR codes. Andong City has designated the entire month of August as the Dosan Byeolgwa Daejeon promotional period and is also running a "Dosan Byeolgwa Daejeon Promotion Event" through blogs and social media.

An official from Andong City stated, "As the 27th Dosan Byeolgwa Daejeon will be held both in-person and online, we hope that the participation of many people will provide an opportunity to shed new light on the historical significance of the Dosan Byeolgwa, the only local state examination of the Joseon Dynasty."

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