Candidate Donghwan Lee Attends Lantern Festival in the Rain, Engages Directly with Citizens and Artists

Goyang Mayoral Candidate Donghwan Lee Joins Citizens in Buddhist Greeting
Attends Festival in Raincoat Despite Inclement Weather
"Culture and the Arts Are Core to City Competitiveness"... Discusses Development Plans with Goyang Arts Federation

Donghwan Lee, the Goyang mayoral candidate from the People Power Party, continued his "field-centered" campaign by visiting events focused on unity among the local arts community and citizens. Despite rainy weather, he attended the Lantern Festival to join citizens and, during a meeting with the Goyang Federation of Artistic and Cultural Organizations, presented plans to expand support for culture and the arts and to revitalize performance infrastructure.

Candidate Donghwan Lee attended the Lantern Festival held in Goyang City on the afternoon of the 20th, joining local Buddhist community members and citizens. Photo by Candidate Donghwan Lee

Candidate Donghwan Lee attended the Lantern Festival held in Goyang City on the afternoon of the 20th, joining local Buddhist community members and citizens. Photo provided by candidate Donghwan Lee

On the afternoon of the 20th, Candidate Donghwan Lee attended the Lantern Festival held in Goyang City, sharing the event with local Buddhist community members and citizens. Despite the rain, many citizens participated in the event wearing raincoats, and Candidate Lee also attended the festival in a raincoat over his campaign outfit.

At the event, Lee joined citizens in a respectful gesture of Buddhist greeting, sharing in the meaning of the Lantern Festival. The festival served as a place of unity for the local community, transcending religions and generations, and attendees remained until the end despite the continuous rain.

By participating in the festival alongside citizens, Lee reflected on the significance of local traditional culture and community events. This schedule is part of his efforts to directly engage with local religious and civic groups during the campaign period, and is seen as a move to broaden his contact with citizens from all walks of life.

Candidate Donghwan Lee is taking a commemorative photo after a policy proposal meeting with the Goyang Federation of Artistic and Cultural Organizations. Photo by Donghwan Lee

Candidate Donghwan Lee: "Make Goyang a Leading City of Arts and Culture"... Pledges Stronger Support for Artists

Earlier that day, at his election campaign office in Hwajeong-dong, Candidate Lee held a meeting with members of the Goyang Federation of Artistic and Cultural Organizations to discuss ways to advance local arts and culture. The meeting was attended by Yoo Yangsu, president of the federation, as well as representatives from its nine affiliated associations and local artists.

The artists requested the creation of a stable creative environment, expansion of performance and exhibition spaces, greater access to free public venues, and new policies to foster young and emerging artists. They particularly emphasized the need for a foundation that enables sustained activity for local artists and the importance of supporting artist welfare.

In response, Lee stated, "Culture and the arts are key assets that enhance a city's competitiveness," and promised, "I will actively incorporate the opinions of artists so that Goyang can become a leading city of arts and culture in Korea."

He also proposed revitalizing small theaters by utilizing the One Mount facility. "We will make active use of idle and existing facilities so that citizens can easily experience performances and exhibitions in their daily lives," he said, adding, "Reviving small-scale performance culture will also broaden the foundation for local artists' activities."

He went on to say, "Creating an environment where artists can focus solely on creative work is the role of the administration," and pledged to systematically promote support for performance and exhibition spaces, the revitalization of everyday culture, and policies to foster young artists.

The meeting was lively and friendly throughout, with participating artists expressing high expectations for the development of local arts and culture. Lee declared, "Based on voices from the field, I will develop practical support measures," reaffirming his commitment to actively reflect artists' needs in city administration.

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