‘2023 Culture Month’ Event Venue Selected as Sinan-gun, Jeollanam-do

Various Performances and Exhibitions Presented on Multiple Islands to Promote Island Culture

The entire village decorated in purple, Jeonnam Sinan-gun's 'Purple Island'. Photo by Sinan-gun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Jeollanam-do Sinan-gun has been selected as the host of the 2023 Culture Month event.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 29th that it held the '2023 Culture Month Host Selection Committee' and finally selected Sinan-gun as the host of the 2023 Culture Month event.

Sinan-gun organized the event under the theme "Islands, the Treasure Trove of Korea's Cultural Diversity," capturing the unique island culture, residents, and ecology as they are, allowing everyone to fully enjoy island culture. Additionally, through the strategy of Geunja-yeol Wonjarae (近者悅 遠子來), meaning "If you please those nearby, those far away will come," they proposed a Culture Month event plan that enables not only local residents but also visitors to participate organically, receiving high praise.

Centered around the Purple Island, which was selected as the Best Tourism Village by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in 2021, Sinan-gun will reinterpret the island festival culture called ‘Sandai’ with programs such as ‘Folk Sandai,’ ‘Slow Island Sandai,’ and ‘Island Forest Spirit (精靈) Sandai.’ In addition, various performances and exhibitions, including the Madanggeuk (traditional Korean outdoor play) and , will be held on multiple islands, showcasing diverse cultural events in October 2023.

According to Article 12 of the Framework Act on Culture, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has designated ‘Culture Month (October)’ and ‘Culture Day (the third Saturday of October)’ annually since 1972. This serves as an opportunity for the entire nation to be enlivened by culture and broadly supports cultural and artistic events that citizens can participate in their daily lives.

Since 2003, to revitalize regional culture, the ‘Culture Month event’ has been held by touring various regions. In 2021, the event was held in Chungcheongnam-do under the theme ‘Naepo Root Culture Festival - Han (韓) Culture Month,’ and this year, Miryang-si, Jindo-gun, and Jeongseon-gun will jointly present the event under the theme ‘Dynamic Korea with the Spirit of Arirang!’

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