Gokseong-gun Hosts 'Seomjingang Ecological Pansori Festival' Event

by Heo Seonsik

Published 04 Oct.2023 14:15(KST)

Updated 15 Aug.2025 02:37(KST)

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Hosted by Gokseong-gun, organized by the creative group Ssamoksamok

Gokseong-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Lee Sang-cheol) announced that the "3rd Seomjingang Ecological Pansori Festival" will be held on the 6th and 7th at Dongak Art Hall and Misillan.

The "3rd Seomjingang Ecological Pansori Festival" is hosted by Gokseong-gun and organized by the creative group Ssamoksamok.

[Image provided by Gokseong-gun]

The event will feature creative sound plays such as "The Story of the Fragrance Merchant" and "The Great Adventure of Isakdan," along with a field pansori performance.

The Pansori Festival was first held in the fall of 2021 as a pansori festival in the Gokseong area, and this year marks its third edition. Over the past two years, it has showcased works recognized for their artistic value and received enthusiastic responses from local residents.

This year, there will also be works that the whole family can enjoy together, as well as a flea market and other attractions.

On the first day of the event, October 6th, the children's sound play "The Story of the Fragrance Merchant" by Sabujakdang will be performed.

"The Story of the Fragrance Merchant" is a work that encourages reflection on the inner beauty unique to each person through the story of a fragrance merchant who reveals one's inner scent. It helps children develop self-love and offers adults an opportunity to look inward.

On October 7th, the Gokseong Pungmul Troupe will energetically open the event, followed by the creative group's Ssamoksamok sound play Hanumcho Earth Defense Force . Then, the traditional pansori and creative pansori "The Promise Tree" will premiere.

"The Great Adventure of Isakdan" is a creative sound play by the creative group Ssamoksamok, created by novelist Kim Tak-hwan and pansori singer Choi Yong-seok. It is designed to provoke deep thought about the Earth suffering from climate change and our environment.

Additionally, there is a premiere among the field pansori performances that is attracting attention. It is "The Promise Tree," based on a story collected from Samtae Village in Jukgok-myeon, Gokseong, with lyrics by novelist Kim Tak-hwan. The work deeply explores how an old tree concludes its life and how the spirit of that old tree remains and is passed down in the village.

Thus, rather than being a one-time performance, the Pansori Festival’s distinctive feature is its continuous engagement with ecological themes, encouraging reflection and shared thought.

The "Seomjingang Ecological Pansori Festival" will take place at 11:00 AM on October 6th and at 6:10 PM on October 7th. All seats are free, but meal costs are separate.