Why Gwanak-gu Has Reborn as the 'Gang Gam-chan City' Embracing Goryeo?

Gwangak, Birthplace of Gang Gam-chan, Establishes Itself as a Historical and Cultural City with Community-Based Festival and Honorary Street Name Designation... 2021 Gwangak Gang Gam-chan Festival Connects Past and Present through History-Based Storytelling

2021 Gwanak Gang Gam-chan Festival Masterclass Gwanak, Professor Lee Ik-joo (right) and District Mayor Park Jun-hee (left)

2021 Gwanak Gang Gam-chan Festival Opening Ceremony

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is the city where General Gang Gam-chan, one of Korea's three great national heroes, was born and raised, and it holds various historical relics.

Accordingly, the district is building Gang Gam-chan, a historical and cultural asset unique to Gwanak-gu, as a ‘city brand’ and actively utilizing it in various fields of district administration, growing into a nationally representative historical and cultural city.

In particular, since 2016, the Gwanak Gang Gam-chan Festival has been held annually to commemorate the achievements and patriotic spirit of General Gang Gam-chan together with local residents.

The ‘2021 Gwanak Gang Gam-chan Festival,’ held from October 14 to 17, added distinctiveness by incorporating Gang Gam-chan and Goryeo culture into all 19 programs under the concept of ‘The New Battle of Gwiju Gang Gam-chan, Homage (Facing Today).’

Dr. Oh Susanna, who participated in this festival, said, “Regional festivals are recognized as tourism resources, but among them, it is important to unfold regional-based storytelling. This Gwanak Gang Gam-chan Festival was created based on storytelling about Goryeo and General Gang Gam-chan, which enhanced understanding of the region and led to high participation from residents.”

At the historical lecture ‘Masterclass, Goryeo’ held on the 15th, Professor Lee Ik-joo (Seoul City University) praised Gwanak-gu’s ‘Gang Gam-chan-daero’ by saying, “There are over 120 places in the U.S. named after General George Washington. Gwanak is the only place in Seoul that uses a local figure’s name as a place name.”

In June 2019, the district designated the section from Siheung IC to Sadang IC on Nambu Sunhwan-ro as ‘Gang Gam-chan-daero,’ and in February 2020, the Nakseongdae Station on Subway Line 2 was co-named ‘Gang Gam-chan Station.’ The ‘Gang Gam-chan Theme Bus,’ decorated with Gang Gam-chan’s character, birth legend, and the victory report of the Battle of Gwiju, is also operated to promote the city of Gang Gam-chan and provide attractions to visitors of Gwanak-gu.

Various contents utilizing Gang Gam-chan are also gaining popularity.

The educational content ‘Goryeo Avengers,’ created in collaboration with a history-specialized YouTuber, is highly praised as it can be immediately used in the 5th-grade elementary social studies curriculum. Additionally, diverse local cultural contents such as ‘Boy Hero Gang Gam-chan,’ ‘Fantastic Gwanak,’ and ‘Gang Gam-chan’s Baeksundae’ are produced, allowing residents to enjoy Gang Gam-chan in many ways.

Furthermore, efforts are being made in various ways to promote the ‘Gang Gam-chan City Gwanak’ brand more familiarly, including publishing Gang Gam-chan picture books, holding Gang Gam-chan character-finding events, and distributing Gang Gam-chan emoticons.

A district official stated, “We will continue to develop our district’s historical and cultural resources into a city brand and foster them as a new growth engine for Gwanak-gu, advancing it as a nationally representative historical and cultural city.”

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