Changnyeong-gun 3·1 Folk Culture Festival Temporarily Postponed Due to COVID-19

Decide Timing and Other Details After Checking Government Guidelines and Spread Trends

Last year, the Yeongsan Soemori Dae-gi (above) and Yeongsan Juldarigi demonstration events were held without spectators. The 61st March 1st Folk Culture Festival in Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongnam, has been temporarily postponed due to the large-scale spread of COVID-19.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Se-ryeong] Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongnam Province, and the 3·1 Folk Culture Improvement Association have decided to temporarily postpone the 61st 3·1 Folk Culture Festival, which was scheduled to be held on the 28th, due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19.

The 3·1 Folk Culture Festival was established to pass down to future generations the spirit of the anti-Japanese patriotic martyrs and the national spirit of the Yeongsan region, the birthplace of Gyeongnam's first independence movement on March 1, 1919, and to promote Important Intangible Cultural Properties No. 25 Yeongsan Soemori Daegi and No. 26 Yeongsan Juldarigi.

The festival has been held annually since 1961 to commemorate the day when a group of 23 members led the Gyeongnam area’s March 1st Independence Movement in 1919 and to continue and preserve the local traditional culture.

In 2020 and 2021, the festival was canceled due to the impact of COVID-19; however, the Yeongsan Soemori Daegi and Yeongsan Juldarigi demonstration events were held without spectators, with only the inheritors and some related personnel participating.

The county explained that since the event attracts large numbers of tourists nationwide every year, there is a concern about a massive virus outbreak if crowds gather, so for the safety of residents and tourists and to prevent the spread of local infections, they have inevitably decided to postpone the event this year.

County Governor Han Jeong-woo said, “We hope people understand the postponement to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” and added, “We will continue to consult with the 3·1 Folk Culture Improvement Association regarding the timing and scale of the event in accordance with government quarantine guidelines.”

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