Suncheon Nagan Eupseong to Host the 'National Gugak Competition'

Published 30 Oct.2023 11:13(KST)

Discovering and Nurturing New Talents in Gugak, Establishing a Gateway to Gugak Careers

Suncheon City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Nogwan-gyu) announced that the National Gugak Competition will be held at Suncheon Nagan Eupseong from November 4 to 5.

Now in its 9th year, the Suncheon Nagan Eupseong National Gugak Competition has established itself as a prestigious gateway for gugak, inheriting the pansori tradition of the master singer Song Mangap, a grand master of Dongpyeonje, and discovering and nurturing new gugak talents in Korea.

[Image provided by Suncheon-si]

The competition, with preliminaries on the 4th and finals on the 5th, is hosted by Suncheon City and organized by the Nagan Eupseong Pansori Preservation Society. The contest categories include pansori and Namdo folk songs, and the competition is divided into five divisions: master singers, newcomers, high school students, elementary and middle school students, and groups.

The grand prize for the master singer division is the Speaker of the National Assembly Award (prize money of 3 million KRW), the newcomer division grand prize is the Governor of Jeollanam-do Award (prize money of 1 million KRW), the high school division grand prize is the Minister of Education Award (prize money of 1 million KRW), the elementary and middle school division grand prize is the Superintendent of Education of Jeollanam-do Award (prize money of 500,000 KRW), and the group division grand prize is the Suncheon Mayor Award (prize money of 1 million KRW), with a total prize money of 14.4 million KRW.

Mayor Nogwan-gyu of Suncheon said, “It is very meaningful that the National Gugak Competition is held at Suncheon Nagan Eupseong, where the history and tradition of the Joseon Dynasty are perfectly preserved,” and added, “I hope gugak artists from all over the country will showcase their skills through the competition.”

Additionally, Kim Yang-nam, representative of the Nagan Eupseong Pansori Preservation Society, said, “I am pleased that this competition provides a place for gugak artists nationwide to unite and that we can show the charm of gugak to visitors who come to Suncheon Nagan Eupseong.”