'2021 Seodaemun Independence and Democracy Festival' Held Online and Offline

Seodaemun Prison History Hall, Sinchon Culture Development Center, and Leica Cinema to Host Small-Scale Distributed Events... Various Non-Face-to-Face Programs Available to Enjoy at Home

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) will hold the ‘2021 Seodaemun Independence and Democracy Festival’ from the 14th to the 22nd in celebration of the 76th Liberation Day.

This festival is a historical and cultural event that shares the joy of liberation with citizens and promotes the values of freedom, peace, and democracy.

While it has been held annually at the Seodaemun Prison History Hall on Liberation Day, this year it will be held in a small-scale, distributed manner at three locations: Seodaemun Prison History Hall, Sinchon Culture Development Center, and Laika Cinema.

To ensure safe enjoyment of the festival, social distancing and quarantine rules will be observed, it will operate on a reservation basis, and various non-face-to-face programs have been prepared.

At the Seodaemun Prison History Hall, there will be ▲ the 2021 Independence and Democracy Activists Special Exhibition ▲ the exhibition ‘The Spirit of the Independence Army Flies High,’ which expresses the sayings and lives of 39 independence fighters through calligraphy ▲ and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s 76th Liberation Day commemorative concert.

In particular, the ‘Independence and Democracy Activists Special Exhibition’ will be held in the ‘Independence and Democracy Activists Memory Space,’ newly established in the ‘Gongjaksa’ at the Seodaemun Prison History Hall to commemorate the achievements of independence and democracy activists.

Every year, independence and democracy incidents and figures are selected, and related videos are produced for permanent exhibition throughout the year. This year’s exhibition themes are Cheolhyeol Liberation (Im Guk-jeong, Yoon Jun-hee, Han Sang-ho) and Mincheonghakryeon (Kim Yoon, Lee Cheol, Jang Young-dal).

The Yonsei University Graduate School of Communication Industry-Academic Production Team (planned by Professor Seo Hyun-seok) produced videos to allow the current generation to view the lives and achievements of independence and democracy activists from their perspective.

The district plans to continue honoring the history of independence and democracy and informing future generations through the ‘Independence and Democracy Activists Memory Space.’

On Liberation Day, the 15th, at 7:30 p.m., the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will hold a concert on the outdoor stage of the Seodaemun Prison History Hall. Under the direction of Music Director Osmo V?nsk?, they will perform Arirang, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 “Fate,” and Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” among others. The concert will be streamed live online and can be viewed via the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s Naver TV, YouTube, and Live Seoul channels.

The Seodaemun Prison History Hall operates on a reservation basis with a limit on the number of visitors per hour, and admission is free on the 14th and 15th. Reservations can be made on the history hall’s website.

At the complex cultural space Sinchon Culture Development Center, the ‘Pansori Les Mis?rables’ performance, adapted from the character ‘Gavroche’ in the novel Les Mis?rables into a story of a boy militia in the late Joseon period, will be held four times from the 19th to the 21st.

There will also be a ‘Cheolhyeol Liberation Media Exhibition’ linked to the Memory Space exhibition at the Seodaemun Prison History Hall.

At Laika Cinema, an art house theater located in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, the 2021 Seodaemun Independence and Democracy Film Festival ‘Film, in mind, rewind’ will screen eight domestic and international films themed on independence and democracy free of charge.

Additionally, special programs include a ‘Conversation with Director Lee Joon-ik of the film Dongju’ (August 15) and a historical lecture titled ‘In the Name of the Son’ by Shim Yong-hwan, director of the History N Education Research Institute (August 22), held non-face-to-face via the cinema’s screen. The historical lecture can also be watched live on the Seodaemun Independence and Democracy Festival YouTube channel.

The district has also prepared various non-face-to-face programs so that people can safely enjoy the 2021 Seodaemun Independence and Democracy Festival from home.

The Independence and Democracy Online Tour ‘The Path of the Desire for Democracy and Independence, Uiju-ro,’ starting on the 14th, is a program where participants watch a course video explained by a Seodaemun-gu historical and cultural guide, walk along the path, and participate in a mobile stamp tour.

Following Uiju-ro, which holds many historical traces from the Joseon Dynasty through the Korean Empire and Japanese colonial period to modern times, participants can walk from Chungjeongno Station to Independence Gate, experiencing a meaningful and interesting journey.

The commentary video can be viewed on the Seodaemun Independence and Democracy Festival YouTube channel, and the stamp tour can be enjoyed by accessing the ‘Seodaemun-gu Smart Tourism Electronic Map.’

Meanwhile, 2,021 people participated in the pre-event program ‘Making Paper Models of Independence Heroes.’ They also watched videos about independence heroes and independence history through YouTube.

The ‘Daehan Independence Manse VR Escape Room’ game, where players solve quizzes about seven female independence activists including Eo Yun-hee, Kwon Ae-ra, and Shin Gwan-bin and escape a virtual Seodaemun Prison, was planned by Seodaemun-gu in collaboration with the Seodaemun Youth Center.

The ‘Historical Content Making Experience,’ which includes making a Taegeukgi frame and patriotic activist books, provides materials by mail in advance and is conducted through real-time online lectures via ZOOM during the festival period.

Thus, this year’s Seodaemun Independence and Democracy Festival attracts attention by expanding and distributing the spatial and temporal scope and organically combining online and offline channels in a hybrid format.

Moon Seok-jin, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, said, “I hope many people safely enjoy the diverse programs of the Seodaemun Independence and Democracy Festival, reflect on the meaning of independence and democracy, and have a meaningful experience amid the tiring daily life due to COVID-19.”

Detailed information and schedules about the festival can be found on the official website of the Seodaemun Independence and Democracy Festival.

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