Baekje Hyeongjeok Found in Restroom Inspires Webtoon Contest

Webtoon Contest on Gwanbuk-ri Site's Bamboo Flute
One-Month Submission, Grand Prize KRW 3 Million

The National Buyeo Cultural Heritage Research Institute announced on the 13th that it will be holding a month-long storytelling webtoon contest themed on the horizontal bamboo flute (hyeongjeok) excavated from the Gwanbuk-ri site in Buyeo.

The hyeongjeok from the Gwanbuk-ri site is a bamboo flute discovered in a rectangular pit near the royal audience hall (Jodang), where the king and his officials discussed state affairs during the Sabi Baekje period. As an instrument played horizontally, it is considered an important artifact providing concrete evidence of Baekje wind instruments.

The contest is based on imaginative interpretations as to why the hyeongjeok was found in a pit presumed to be an auxiliary restroom for the audience hall. Submissions should freely interpret and incorporate key terms such as 'Broken Hyeongjeok,' 'Buyeo Gwanbuk-ri Site,' 'Jodang,' and 'Baekje Five Great Musicians.' Anyone interested in Baekje culture is eligible to participate.

There will be one Grand Prize winner (KRW 3 million), one Excellence Prize winner (KRW 1 million), and ten Encouragement Prize winners (KRW 100,000 each). The winning works will be serialized on the institute’s Instagram, and the Grand Prize and Excellence Prize entries will be exhibited at the academic conference held in conjunction with the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan in July.