Gimpo City and 2nd Marine Division Make History in Border Tourism with "Marine Corps Cultural Festival"

Gimpo City Hosts the "2025 Gimpo Marine Corps Cultural Festival"
Draws 50,000 Visitors in Its Second Year... Daemyeong Port Emerges as a New Border Tourism Hotspot After Aegibong
Mayor Kim Byungsoo: "Leveraging Border Area’s Unique Character to Communicate Through Culture?Aiming to Become a Leading National Tourism City"

Gimpo City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kim Byungsoo), jointly hosting the "2025 Gimpo Marine Corps Cultural Festival" with the 2nd Marine Division (Division Commander Choi Younggil), welcomed 50,000 visitors, once again proving Gimpo’s status as a special tourism city with unique festivals. Despite this being only the second year of the festival, the turnout of 50,000 attendees is considered extraordinary, reaffirming that Daemyeong Port is rapidly emerging as a new tourist destination following Aegibong.

The city of Gimpo is jointly hosting the "2025 Gimpo Marine Corps Cultural Festival" with the 2nd Marine Division, taking place on the 1st at Hamsang Park and the Daemyeong Port area. Photo by Gimpo City

There is growing sentiment that festivals such as the Laveniche Festival, Daemyeong Port Sunset Festa, and the Marine Corps Cultural Festival, which highlight the unique features of Gimpo’s resources from a new perspective, are transforming Gimpo into a city that people want to visit again. In particular, the Marine Corps Cultural Festival is significant for changing perceptions of Gimpo as a border area and for showcasing new possibilities for border tourism.

The "2025 Gimpo Marine Corps Cultural Festival," held by the city on the 1st at Hamsang Park and the Daemyeong Port area, featured a thrilling amphibious operation demonstration with helicopters and KAAVs (Korean Amphibious Assault Vehicles), a martial arts performance called "Mujeokdo Demonstration," and the "Iron Muscles Contest," offering visitors a rare opportunity to experience diverse aspects of Marine Corps culture and receiving an enthusiastic response.

Many commented that being able to touch combat equipment, which is not usually accessible, and witnessing it in action provided a close-up experience of the Marine Corps’ might, offering a dynamic showcase of the Marine Corps’ true spirit.

Visitors shared their impressions, saying, "It’s even more special to enjoy such an exciting Marine Corps festival in Gimpo, a border region," "I used to think the Marine Corps in border areas like Gimpo would be intimidating and difficult, but this festival changed my perception, showing them as strong and impressive," "Now Gimpo is a city you can trust for great festivals," and "Through this festival, my child became interested in the Marine Corps. We’ll come again next year."

This year’s festival was made even more special by the witty hosting of Park Kyungho, a comedian and Marine Corps veteran. It also drew attention as Marine Corps veterans’ associations from across the country, including the Gimpo branch and the Blue Dragon Veterans Association, participated alongside Marine Corps families.

As the festival was held around Daemyeong Port, the local commercial district became lively with visitors seeking to enjoy both the festival and the seasonal seafood of Daemyeong Port, making it a festival that goes beyond Marine Corps cultural experiences to offer gourmet tourism as well.

In his welcoming speech, Mayor Kim Byungsoo stated, "Our Gimpo faces North Korea, but it is safer than anywhere else-thanks to the 2nd Marine Division. The Gimpo Marine Corps Cultural Festival is a very meaningful event where the Marine Corps, which has shared Gimpo’s history and destiny, and the citizens of Gimpo can understand and exchange each other’s cultures. By leveraging Gimpo’s unique character as a military border area, we have hosted a Marine Corps Cultural Festival that communicates through culture beyond security, showcasing the various aspects of ‘Cultural Tourism City Gimpo.’ Going forward, we will continue to add attractive content to Gimpo’s unique resources, establishing Gimpo as a new tourism city that draws visitors from all over the country."

Kim Byungsoo, mayor of Gimpo City, is delivering a welcoming speech at the '2025 Gimpo Marine Corps Cultural Festival' on the 1st. Provided by Gimpo City

Choi Younggil, Commander of the 2nd Marine Division, said, "Today’s cultural festival is a venue for harmony and mutual growth, where the Marine Corps, which first established ties with Gimpo in 1951, repays the love and support of Gimpo citizens as a member and partner of the local community. We will continue to faithfully carry out our duties to remain a reliable neighbor who keeps the citizens of Gimpo safest."

Meanwhile, since the launch of the 8th popularly elected administration, Gimpo City has been accelerating the revitalization of Daemyeong Port, starting with its designation as a candidate for a national fishing port, following the elevation of Aegibong to a world-renowned landmark. In addition, the city is actively pursuing the designation of Sinan-ri as a national heritage site and seeking ways to restore Munsusanseong Fortress, as part of efforts to boost tourism in northern Gimpo.

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