Comfort for COVID-19 Hardships! ... Gangbuk-gu, Songpa-gu, Yangcheon-gu Host 'Concerts and Book Concerts'

[Seoul District News] Gangbuk-gu Hosts 'Visiting Environmental Concert' Enjoyed from Balconies... With Corona First Weekend, Seongbuk-gu Apartment Community Events Lively... Songpa-gu to Hold 'Seokchonhosu Todak Todak Concert' at 6:30 PM on 10th... 8th Yangcheon Book Festival on 12-13th... Gwangjin-gu's Gwangnaru Academy on 18th Features Psychiatrist Dr. Eun-Young Oh for 'Time of Mind Healing'... Eunpyeong-gu Presents Solo Monologue Performance 'Please Take Care of Eunok' from 12th to 19th

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Kyum-soo) held an environmental music concert visiting apartment complexes on the 2nd and 4th of last month.

Two apartment complexes participated in the environmental music concert under the theme "Happiness Comes When You Turn Off the Lights." When music flowed from the plaza and playground within the apartment complexes, residents enjoyed it from their balconies. Some audience members strolled around the streets near the stage while enjoying the performance.

Vocalists and classical ensembles filled the stage with a variety of touching performances. Baritone Baek Jin-ho sang operatic pieces such as "O Sole Mio," "Some Beautiful Day in October," and "Song of the Toreador." A quintet ensemble composed of violin, flute, piano, and others selected familiar songs like "Over the Rainbow" and "Fly Me to the Moon." Explanations of the pieces were also provided intermittently between performances and songs.

During the concert time, the apartment complexes also held a lights-off event. Energy-saving methods that can be practiced in daily life were shared with residents. The district plans to hold a second small environmental music concert at local daycare centers this month.

Gangbuk-gu Mayor Park Kyum-soo said, "I hope this time of enjoying sweet melodies in living spaces will bring small happiness and vitality," and added, "We will hold various small environmental music concerts visiting different places, combined with energy-saving efforts."

Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) has been preparing for a return to daily life with With-Corona from November, promoting various outdoor activities and cultural events as part of the apartment community revitalization project, receiving great responses from residents.

On the weekend of the 6th, from early morning, Seokgwan Doosan and Gireum New Town 8th Complex apartments held walking events along Jungnangcheon Stream and Bukhansan Mountain, where families of various generations enjoyed the autumn foliage on the trails together.

On the same day in the afternoon, Jeongneung Daewoo, Seongbuk Hillstate, Jangwi Fore County, Gireum 11th Complex Golden Hills, Samseon Prugio, Dream Forest I-Park, and Jongam SK Apartments held autumn concerts, flea markets, and film festivals at various locations such as central plazas and playgrounds within the complexes, receiving great applause and responses from residents.

The district noted that while community face-to-face activities and events were difficult during the sustained 4th level social distancing due to COVID-19, from November, in line with the phased recovery of daily life, postponed cultural performances and resident festivals will be held.

On this day, Seongbuk-gu Mayor Lee Seung-ro communicated with residents throughout the complexes and said, "I hope that through these cultural events close to home, residents who have been exhausted by COVID-19 for a long time can find healing without having to go far," and added, "I ask for much interest and participation in the apartment community revitalization project that promotes communication and harmony among neighbors."

Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Sung-soo) will hold the "Seokchon Lake Todak Todak Concert" to comfort residents and tourists tired from COVID-19 during the deepening autumn season.

This stage is the first face-to-face cultural and artistic event resumed in about two years since the outbreak of COVID-19, sponsored by Songpa-gu and Lotte World Tower·Mall. Various performances from dance teams to classical and jazz will be prepared so that attendees can feel the beautiful autumn atmosphere of Seokchon Lake and gain inspiration and hope.

The concert will be held on November 10th at 6:30 PM on the central waterside stage of Seokchon Lake East Lake.

Starting with a performance by the dance team "Dawons," composed of young artists from Songpa-gu, followed by ballad performances by audition program winner singer "Son Seung-yeon," and performances by the world-renowned vocal couple Lee Myung-hee and Kim Dong-won. Finally, the "Woongsan Band," composed of Korea's representative musicians, will present a gift-like time with beautiful jazz melodies to the audience.

All performances will be conducted safely while strictly adhering to quarantine rules in accordance with the implementation of the first phase of the phased recovery of daily life.

Additionally, from October 29th for 10 days, the district continued busking performances at Seokchon Lake for young artists whose stages were reduced due to COVID-19. The "Seokchon Lake Todak Todak Youth Busking" featured 67 talented young artist teams from Songpa-gu, performing a total of 34 diverse street performances for residents at the "Cultural Experimental Space Lake" and "Seokchon Lake Atelier."

Meanwhile, the district has been delivering hope to residents through culture and arts by holding various festivals in an on-tact manner according to the COVID-19 situation. The district's representative festivals, such as the "Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival" and the "21st Hansung Baekje Cultural Festival Daebaekje Exhibition," were held throughout the district focusing on exhibitions and non-face-to-face programs, receiving positive evaluations.

Songpa-gu Mayor Park Sung-soo said, "Going forward, Songpa-gu will showcase richer and more diverse stages suitable for the With-Corona era based on the know-how accumulated in cultural and artistic projects during difficult times," and added, "We will especially focus on interest and support for young artists who lost their stages due to COVID-19 to create 'Songpa, a good place for art.'"

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) will hold the "8th Yangcheon Book Festival" at Yangcheon Cultural Center on the 12th and 13th, organized by the Yangcheon Cultural Foundation, featuring a variety of programs.

This event, themed "In the Untact Era, Crossing Art with Books!," explores new attempts combining libraries and arts through books containing diverse stories. It was planned to support recovery to daily life by healing and comforting residents tired from COVID-19 through books.

The opening special event on the 12th will be held at the Sunflower Hall of Yangcheon Cultural Center, where Mayor Kim Soo-young and local residents will share a "Very Special Book Busking" session to breathe with books. Literary critic Heo Hee will host, and pianist Yijun will accompany with jazz performances. During the book busking, Mayor Kim, known as an avid reader, will introduce recommended books and read aloud selected sentences that he wishes to share.

Following this, the author meeting "Independent Publishing We Loved" will feature authors such as Go Sun-young, author of "Love Deficiency," and Kim Ji-sun, author of "Do You Also Need the Santiago Pilgrimage?" to discuss independent publishing together.

The reading concert "Embracing Art! Listening to Books!" will feature residents as readers, with works such as Yang Hee-eun's "So Be It," Kim Yeon-su's "Sentences of Youth," and Yoon Dae-nyeong's "All These Dramatic Moments" resonating through the Sunflower Hall with clear voices of residents.

On the 13th, students of the library program "Together Tatata" will present a rhythmically splendid performance with classical percussion instruments. A "Lecture Concert" combining book talks and atmospheric jazz performances will also be held. Poet-engineer Oh Eun, poet and bookstore keeper Yoo Hee-kyung of "Wit & Cynical," and "Soran" author Park Yeon-jun, known as the "Crazy Chemistry (Combination)," will freely communicate with about 100 residents about literature and art. Additionally, the Moon Jazz Band, boasting sophisticated sound, will offer fantastic jazz harmony.

Moreover, on the 12th and 13th, the front yard of Yangcheon Cultural Center will host a "Free Market," an augmented reality "Photo Zone," and the currently popular "Dalgona Experience."

From the 8th to the 13th, a "Stamp Tour Event" will be held where participants who complete missions at nine Yangcheon public libraries and five neighborhood bookstores and get stamps will receive performance tickets from the Yangcheon Cultural Foundation. Also, the "Wise BOOK Stay-at-Home Life," where librarians select books and lend them out by revealing only keywords to arouse interest, is highly anticipated.

Applications for participation in the 8th Yangcheon Book Festival are being accepted in advance on the Yangcheon Integrated Library website, and on-site registration is also possible on the day. For more details, contact the Yangcheon Integrated Library website or the Library Operations Team of the Yangcheon Cultural Foundation.

Yangcheon-gu Mayor Kim Soo-young said, "I hope residents will have an exciting healing time through this book festival, which combines the artistic sensibility unique to Yangcheon-gu as beautiful and distinctive as autumn foliage."

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Sun-gap) will hold the fifth lecture of the 2021 Gwangnaru Academy on the 18th at 7 PM at the Naru Art Center Grand Theater.

On this day, Dr. Oh Eun-young, a pediatric and adolescent psychiatrist well known as a parenting mentor, will present a lecture titled "You Are a Flower, a Star, the Wind," healing the hearts of residents.

This Gwangnaru Academy will be held as a face-to-face event with about 200 residents who have completed vaccination or tested negative, in accordance with the first phase of the phased recovery of daily life. On-site participation is closed, and due to high interest from residents, the waiting list has exceeded capacity.

The district plans to provide a replay video on the official Gwangjin-gu YouTube channel for seven days after the lecture for residents who cannot attend in person.

For inquiries, refer to the Gwangjin Lifelong Education Portal or contact the Gwangjin-gu Education Support Division by phone.

Gwangjin-gu Mayor Kim Sun-gap said, "I am glad that we can hold the Gwangnaru Academy, a special lecture inviting distinguished guests, face-to-face in the With-Corona era," and added, "I hope you receive good energy from this warm lecture that heals tired hearts, and I ask for your continued efforts until the end for a safe recovery of daily life."

An Eunpyeong District resident actor in monologue

Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) announced that the rooftop performance series "Please Take Care of Eun-ok" will be streamed on the Eunpyeong Cultural Foundation's YouTube channel from the 12th to the 19th.

Now in its third year, Eunpyeong-gu's "Please Take Care of Eun-ok" is a cultural and artistic event that finds rooftops in the Eunpyeong area suitable for performances and holds plays or concerts. It expands performance opportunities for artists and provides viewing opportunities for local residents.

This time, "Please Take Care of Eun-ok" featured a reading of a monologue from the Russian writer Anton Chekhov's work "The Seagull." Due to COVID-19, it was recorded as a non-face-to-face performance with participation from Eunpyeong residents and artists as actors.

Actor Oh Il-ryong, a resident of Eunpyeong who directed the performance, said, "To prevent residents' artistic activities from shrinking despite COVID-19, we utilized the idle rooftop space to present a non-face-to-face one-person play," and added, "We aimed to create a safe place to enjoy culture and arts and to spread the value of Eunpyeong's culture and arts."

In fact, due to weather conditions, this performance was held at the Seoul Youth Center "Eunpyeong Orang," and next year it is planned to be held on an outdoor rooftop.

Kim Mi-kyung, Mayor of Eunpyeong-gu, who watched the recorded performance, said, "Each scene drawn by each actor reminded me of the ups and downs of life. Although it was a modest performance, the impression was more than a hundredfold," and stayed until the end, moved by the actors' touching acting throughout the performance.

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