A Nationwide Folk Art Play Contest!, Korean Folk Arts Festival ... 'Gumi Nongak Troupe Representing Gyeongbuk Province' Wins Prime Minister's Award

The Gumi Nongakdan, representing Gyeongbuk Province, received the Prime Minister's Award at the Korean Folk Arts Festival.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] The Gumi Nongakdan, representing Gumi Nongak in Gyeongbuk, achieved the great feat of receiving the Prime Minister's Award at the 63rd Korean Folk Arts Festival.

Held from October 28 to 30 in Gongju City, Chungcheongnam-do, the 'Korean Folk Arts Festival' is a competition where regional representative teams from 16 cities and provinces nationwide and the five northern provinces participate. In the general division, 21 groups and about 1,800 skilled folk art groups competed fiercely for the President's Award.

Selected as the Gyeongbuk Province representative team ahead of this competition, the Gumi Nongakdan showcased the skills they had honed during the three-year postponement of the Korean Folk Arts Festival due to COVID-19, resulting in winning the Grand Prize (Prime Minister's Award).

Gumi Nongakdan, the grand prize winner at the Korean Folk Arts Festival.

Gumi Mueul Nongak originated 300 years ago during the Yeongjo era by Monk Jeong Jae-jin at Sudasa (formerly Yeonhwasa), and its lineage has been maintained clearly from the first Sangsoe Lee Gun-seon to the current eighth Sangsoe Park Jeong-cheol.

It is considered a precious cultural heritage of Korea, rare nationwide for possessing the three major legends of military ritual, farming ritual, and Buddhist theory. The distinctly divided 12 Madang's Jin-gut (war) form and the dynamic sound of the drum and the agility of the sogo recreate military formation play, well expressing the musicality and value of Yeongnam region Nongak.

The Gumi Nongakdan, centered on Gumi Mueul Nongak, a Gyeongbuk intangible cultural heritage, is a professional art group where young traditional musicians majoring in gugak at universities and Gumi citizens harmoniously work together. They performed at the opening ceremony of the 102nd National Sports Festival, the torch relay invitation performance, and participated in the 42nd Jeonju Daesaseupnori National Competition, winning the Nongak division championship.

Park Jeong-cheol, the leader and artistic director, said, "Since this award was received by talents who will be the future and history of our region, we will further support excellent Nongak talents to settle and be active in the area. Thanks to the support of Gyeongbuk residents and Gumi citizens, we were able to receive this award, and we hope for more interest and support in the future."

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