Naju-si Hosts 'Taegukgi Street Festival' Around Old Naju Station Area

[Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] Naju City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Kang In-gyu) announced on the 22nd that it will hold the "2nd Taegeukgi Street Festival" for two days on the 26th and 27th around the old Naju Station.

The venue, the old Naju Station, is the origin of the Gwangju Student Independence Movement, one of the three major anti-Japanese movements during the Japanese colonial period.

The Gwangju Student Independence Movement was triggered by the so-called Danggi Hair Incident on October 30, 1929, when a Japanese student harassed female students including Lee Gwangchun and Park Giok attending Gwangju Girls' High School.

As the harassment continued until the Gwangju-bound commuter train arrived at Naju Station, Korean male students who were outraged clashed with Japanese students, and this incident led to the student independence movement centered on students from Gwangju High School and Gwangju Agricultural School on November 3.

Now in its second year, the festival is planned by the Jukrim-dong Urban Regeneration Residents' Council to revitalize the old Naju Station street and to re-examine the history of the anti-Japanese movement by restoring the history of the student movement path.

This festival, under the theme "The Shout of That Day, Returning as One!", features various cultural, exhibition, and promotional events such as the Complete Conquest of the Student Movement (O/X Quiz) and Korean Language Jukrim-Pic, Naju Citizen Singing Contest, Taegeukgi Performance, Danggi Hair Experience, and an exhibition of old Taegeukgi flags.

Especially on the first day of the festival, a creative performance themed on the Naju Station incident, which was the catalyst for the Gwangju Student Anti-Japanese Movement on November 3, 1929, and a performance wishing for a united Naju will enliven the opening.

Seventeen experience booths where visitors can feel the modern and contemporary historical culture, such as the Naju Station Independence Movement Photo Zone, making canned time capsules, and Danggi Hair Experience, will also be operated.

The Jukrim-dong Urban Regeneration Residents' Council plans to deploy about 30 safety management personnel throughout the festival site and thoroughly manage quarantine measures such as entry control based on vaccination confirmation, social distancing, and prohibition of eating.

Mayor Kang In-gyu said, "I hope this festival will be an opportunity for local youth to commemorate the origin of the Naju Student Independence Movement and reflect on the spirit of the anti-Japanese independence movement, and that it will serve as a turning point for revitalizing the Jukrim-dong urban regeneration project through community harmony."

Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong bong2910@asiae.co.kr

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