by The ‘2022 Korean Culture Festival, where you can meet all things Hallyu, opened a grand curtain on the eve of September 30. The 9-day journey began with the high interest and enthusiastic response of foreigners in Korea and Hallyu fans worldwide.
The 2022 Korean Culture Festival, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Park Bo-gyun) and the Korea International Cultural Exchange Promotion Agency (Director Jeong Gil-Hwa), is a global Hallyu festival that introduces various Korean cultures, including K-pop and drama, food, beauty, and fashion. A rich and colorful program will be held at Gwanghwamun Square and Jamsil Stadium in Seoul until the 8th.
On September 30 (Fri), more than 3,000 foreigners and citizens in Korea filled Heungnyemun Square in Gyeongbokgung Palace, where the 2022 Korean Cultural Festival eve was held. Cheers and applause continued for the performance under the theme of ‘Korean culture, blossoming the future in the palace.’
The version of the prosthetic artist Seok Chang-woo, who pioneered a new genre of ‘ink croquis’ by combining Eastern calligraphy and Western croquis, created a sensation.
The Korean cantata ‘Hunminjeongeum, People’s Country,’ with a total of 90 orchestras and choirs, captivated the eyes and ears of the audience with a majestic and profound stage. At the end of the eve festival, the K-pop genre and street dance reinterpreted the traditional Korean folk game ‘Ganggangsullae,’ the image song ‘The-K Ganggangsullae’ from this year’s Korean Cultural Festival.
On the evening of October 1 (Sat), the pre-reserved seats for the opening festival held at the Gwanghwamun Plaza Play Madang closed early. About 3,000 domestic and foreign spectators enjoyed the performance in front of the stage and various plaza places.
The gala show in which musical actors perform famous scenes from the drama that led the Korean Wave to orchestral performances and the drama talk show in which famous actors Hong Soo-ah and Seong-hwan Seong-hwan participated confirmed the secret of K-drama’s popularity through behind-the-scenes stories from the director and actors. When singers Kyu-hyun, Kim Na-young, and Paul Kim (in alphabetical order) sang the song in a popular drama, there were not a few people who sang along from family members who went on a weekend outing to foreign tourists.
On October 2 (Sun), at the ‘Talk & Stage’ held at Jamsil Sports Complex auxiliary stadium, about 2,000 fans who applied in advance joined the group The Boyz on the spot. On October 3 (Mon), Oh My Girl met with fans and spread the charm of Hallyu content to the world. The K stage performance was accompanied by Brave Girls, BBG, CIEX, and Pentagon (alphabetical order). Despite the rain on both days, the spectators who came to the scene remained seated until the end of the performance.
The highlight of this festival, ‘The-K Concert,’ is receiving a hot response on social network services (SNS) every day as the top K-pop stars are in full force. The K concert, which will be held at the Olympic Main Stadium in Jamsil Sports Complex on Friday, October 7, will include MONSTA X, Blanky, Stay, I’ve, NCT Dream, MCND, WJSN, Winner, Zico, CRAVITY (in alphabetical order). Will appear American singer-songwriter MAX is also with them.
As the 2022 Korean Culture Festival is a festival created by Hallyu fans and artists together, the experience booths decorated by fans themselves also drew attention. At the site where the winning works of the ‘K-Culture Challenge,’ conducted with the participation of Hallyu fans, were exhibited, results that suggested the artist’s makeup and stage costumes were released and received a favorable response from the audience. Visitors continue to visit the exhibition, which can gauge the competitiveness of Hallyu-related industries such as K-food, beauty, fashion, crafts, and living.
The K Parade, which will decorate the 2022 Korean Culture Festival finale on October 8, is expected to be attended by more than 2,000 marchers, including citizens and local art groups. Starting from Jongno 5-ga and marching through the city to Gwanghwamun Square, we plan to offer the experience of becoming one with The-K. In addition, the exceptional performance of The K Ganggangsullae, where you can see the essence of Korean culture excitingly and dynamically, will also be held.
More detailed information about the festival can be found on the official website, and all performances, exhibitions, and experiences are free. In addition, the main event will be broadcast live on the official website and YouTube channel.
