Gwangju Seo-gu, Nationwide First 18 Neighborhood Choirs... New Driving Force for Village Autonomy

Sharing the Annual Achievements of the Festival 개최

Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Kim Ikang) is pioneering the operation of 18 neighborhood choirs nationwide, aiming to promote harmony and communication among residents through music.

In particular, the Seo-gu village choir has become a new driving force for community autonomy by completing 'harmony' through the voluntary participation of all members, including the conductor, accompanist, and choir members.

Seo-gu announced on the 17th that it held the ‘Seo-gu Harmony Village Choir Festival’ at the Seobitmaru Culture and Arts Center.

The event, held the previous day, featured performances from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with all 18 neighborhood choirs participating. Each neighborhood performed two free-choice songs on stage, showcasing the skills they had honed throughout the year.

The Seo-gu village choir was initiated as an idea to create a ‘music-flowing village’ during the 8th elected term, in the process of realizing a neighborhood-centered living government and expanding residents’ opportunities to participate in village projects.

Subsequently, each neighborhood formed choirs mainly composed of residents of various ages, occupations, and hobbies through open recruitment. Since March, they have communicated and fostered harmony through regular meetings and rehearsals, injecting new vitality into the village community.

Piano academy directors, church accompanists, and ordinary residents who love music volunteered as conductors and accompanists, while residents passionate about singing devoted continuous vocal practice and effort to complete beautiful harmony.

Seo-gu Mayor Kim Ikang said, “When the village choir proposal was first made, it was an unfamiliar endeavor that no one had tried before, and there were voices of concern and doubt about whether it was possible. However, the residents’ unity created today’s best stage full of emotion and joy. We have once again confirmed that the changes in the 8th elected term achieve valuable results when working together with residents on the ground and become a driving force for Seo-gu’s development.”

Meanwhile, Seo-gu plans to explore various support measures for the village choirs based on the ‘Ordinance on the Formation and Operation of Seo-gu Village Choirs, Gwangju Metropolitan City.’

Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongho Shin yjm3070@asiae.co.kr

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