Gokseong-gun Hosts 'Simcheong-gil Secret Recipe' Play on a Moving Train

Rising Expectations for Local Content Capturing Regional Life and Flavors Through Theater

[Gokseong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Cha Jong-seon] Gokseong-gun, Jeollanam-do, will hold a performance of the local original play "Simcheong-gil Secret Recipe" inside the steam locomotive at Seomjingang Train Village on the 22nd.

In Bu?ol, Spain, there is La Tomatina; in Sapporo, Japan, the Snow Festival; and in Munich, Germany, Oktoberfest. These are all cases where unique local characteristics, events, and cultures have become cultural contents representing their countries.

In Korea, various festivals and local cultural programs have emerged in each region and continue to be created even at this moment. However, rather than emphasizing regional characteristics, most contents are criticized for being monotonous due to the rush to imitate successful cases. For those who feel regretful about this situation, the "Simcheong-gil Secret Recipe" performance in Gokseong-gun, Jeollanam-do, is worth paying attention to.

This play is a special performance created by professional artists and grandmothers living in Gokseong, allowing the audience to feel the life stories and the unique touch of the people of Gokseong. One of the features of the play is that it takes place inside a steam locomotive running on the railway, as if unfolding the rugged life paths of local residents.

Additionally, it is unique in presenting a stage that anyone can empathize with, through the deeply local life stories of Gokseong people, including the joys, sorrows, memories, and hopes of life. In other words, from the creative process to the form of the performance, it is a play that fully embodies the characteristics of the region.

Gokseong-gun highly evaluates the potential of this performance as local content.

In Korea’s reality, as the competition to catch up with cities intensifies, the word "rural" has gradually become synonymous with "underdevelopment" and "decline." In other words, before regional extinction, the disappearance of "locality" has already arrived. In this situation, by putting the life stories of local residents on stage linked with local food, it is hoped that a unique cultural content exclusive to Gokseong will be born.

Moreover, there are plans to expand the performance to a higher level by connecting the grandmothers who participated in the play with teenagers in Gokseong-gun who are learning theater. Through this, the goal is to connect all generations as a village community and foster pride as local residents.

A Gokseong-gun official said, “At one time, many people believed that forgetting the ‘village’ would not cause major problems, and moreover, they thought that the ‘culture’ of the village was not closely related to their own lives. However, a village should be more than just a geographically concentrated community; it must become a cultural community with a unique way of life. Locality must be alive for the region to have its own charm and for people to have reasons to want to live there.”

He added, “Until now, countless local contents have neglected the lives of residents or followed trends such as village murals without deep consideration. I hope this play will establish itself as a true local content involving residents and become a cultural tourism resource unique to our county that showcases the distinct charm of the region.”

Gokseong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Cha Jong-seon hss79@asiae.co.kr

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