Gunchung Square Returns to the People: '2022 Goheung Culture and Arts Festival' a Great Success

Presenting a Paradigm for Community-Led Cultural Events

[Goheung=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Shim Jeong-woo] Jeonnam Goheung-gun (Governor Gong Young-min) announced that the ‘2022 Goheung Culture and Arts Festival’ was successfully concluded on the 19th at the Goheung County Office plaza with about 4,000 residents in attendance.

This event holds great significance as it was the first time since the opening of the Goheung County new office building in 2018 that the plaza was freely enjoyed by the residents as a cultural space.

Moreover, breaking away from previous events, it was promoted as an event led actively by local residents, receiving favorable reviews from both residents and tourists. Under the slogan “Create by ourselves, gather and share, and enjoy by all,” it became an opportunity to seek regional development through cultural exchange.

The Goheung Culture and Arts Festival involved participants of various age groups from children to the elderly, featuring diverse content such as food, games, and entertainment, filling the office plaza with vitality. By attempting changes through resident-led content, it presented a successful model for cultural events.

In particular, 35 teams of citizen cultural activists who have been active throughout the year on Goheung regional culture exhibited various activity stories including crafts and experiences, surfing, leisure, village stories, ecology, and environment, creating a space for cultural empathy and solidarity with residents.

For children, large inflatable bounce zones, endangered animal coloring playgrounds, magic shows, bubble shows, and balloon art were held, providing memorable experiences for families. Various experiential events such as decorating Indian tents and hanging wish lanterns were also held.

The festival was evaluated as an art event that anyone in the county could watch and enjoy without burden.

Additionally, 15 local agricultural, marine products, and handicraft sellers participated, selling over 30 types of diverse products such as passion fruit, yuzu madeleines, Goheung bread, leather crafts, plaster air fresheners, and natural dye products, contributing to the promotion of agricultural products and revitalization of the local economy.

Performances by local living art clubs including Nanta drumming, Korean traditional music, youth bands, and local singers, as well as congratulatory performances by famous singers such as Kim Ki-tae, Na Young, Shin Sung, and Kim Beom-ryong, winners of Singer Gain 2, provided unique enjoyment to the residents.

Considering the increasing need for safety awareness, thorough preparations including medical, firefighting, traffic measures, and deployment of safety personnel led to the event’s safe conclusion.

Governor Gong Young-min said, “I feel very meaningful to return the office plaza to the residents, and it became an opportunity for the office building to come closer to the residents,” adding, “We will continue to create a Goheung that leaps forward through the power of culture and provide various cultural enjoyment opportunities to the residents.”

A resident who participated in the event said, “I liked the programs such as the play zone where I could spend time with my child, and there were food trucks and other food options, so my family could have an enjoyable weekend locally,” and added, “I hope this event will be held again in the plaza next year.”

A county official stated, “We will carefully analyze the evaluation of this event and do our best to organize even richer programs and promote cultural events together with the residents in the future.”

Goheung=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Shim Jeong-woo hss79@asiae.co.kr

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