Suncheon Nagan Eupseong National Gayageum Byeongchang Competition Concludes Successfully

Commemorating Master O Taeseok, the Pinnacle of Gayageum Byeongchang

Suncheon City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Noh Gwan-gyu) hosted the 16th Suncheon Nagan Eupseong National Gayageum Byeongchang Competition, organized by the Nagan Eupseong Gayageum Byeongchang Preservation Society (Chairperson Lee Young-ae), which was successfully held over two days on the 20th and 21st at Suncheon Nagan Eupseong.

This competition featured 78 teams and 91 participants from eight divisions nationwide, including elementary, middle, high school, rookie, university, and general divisions, engaging in intense performances.

[Photo by Suncheon City]

The judging panel consisted of nine experts, led by Chief Judge Kim Eun-sook (holder of Jeollanam-do intangible cultural heritage Gayageum Byeongchang), and emphasized objectivity by using an automatic scoring system and the cultural arts support platform Idea Market to post judges' scores in real time for each contestant.

As a result of the competition, the Grand Prize in the general division, the Speaker of the National Assembly Award, was awarded to Kwon Ja-young (Graduate student at Korea National University of Arts) for performing a Byeongchang rendition of "Jeokbyeokga," receiving a prize of 2 million KRW and a Gayageum worth approximately 3 million KRW as a special prize.

Kwon previously won first place in the Gayageum Byeongchang division at the 35th Jeonju Daesaseupnori National Student Competition during high school and a silver medal in the university division at the 19th Gurye National Gayageum Competition during university. Currently, Kwon is a promising talent pursuing a graduate degree in arts.

Chief Judge Kim Eun-sook commented, "Although the competition was held in front of visitors touring Suncheon Nagan Eupseong, which must have been nerve-wracking, I am grateful that all participants performed excellently. I was especially impressed by the skills of the student participants and hope they will grow into the future leaders of Gayageum Byeongchang."

A city official stated, "It is very meaningful that the National Gayageum Byeongchang Competition at Suncheon Nagan Eupseong, where Joseon history and folk culture breathe, has already reached its 16th edition. Suncheon City will continue to spare no effort and support for the succession and development of traditional culture."

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