Gangwon to hold Olympic festival next month

A monorail goes into Daegeum Cave in Samcheok, Gangwon Province. / Courtesy of Gangwon Provincial Government

By Jung Min-ho

Ahead of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the Gangwon Provincial Government will hold a culture festival next month in two host cities — PyeongChang and Gangneung — to promote the global sporting event.

“Through the festival, we plan to heighten the festive mood for the Olympics, which is now only a year away,” Gangwon Governor Choi Moon-soon said.

Its opening ceremony, which is scheduled to be held at Gangneung Hockey Center on Feb. 9, will feature a 2,018-memer choir, a 200-member orchestra and K-pop stars. Representatives from the central government, the International Olympic Committee as well as various sporting organizations are expected to participate.

From Feb. 9 to 19, visitors can watch a variety of art performances every day at three Gangneung venues — Haeram Culture Center, Dano Cultural Center and a specially prepared outdoor stage.

Eleven of the total 55 performance teams will come from places overseas that have sister relationships with Gangwon Province, including Malaysia’s Sarawak and Vietnam’s Quang Ninh Province.

A view of the Alpensia Resort in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, the host city for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games

The provincial government also plans to display a total of 300 snow sculptures in popular tourist areas for those who want to take photos of the gorgeous winter scenery in the two cities.

For K-pop lovers, organizers are also preparing to stage a concert, which is scheduled for Feb. 18 at Yongpyong Dome in PyeongChang. AOA, FT Island, B1A4 and many other K-pop stars are currently in talks with organizers over their possible appearances.

This year’s goal, the provincial government said, is to double the number of foreign tourists to the region to 5 million.

Given its myriad tourism resources and the upcoming Olympics, the provincial government believes the goal is achievable with wise strategies. It said it is stepping up efforts to develop more attractive tourism programs in cooperation with the central government.

Located in the northeast of South Korea, Gangwon Province is known for its beautiful scenery. For locals, the region is popular for winter activities because of a great amount of snowfall there.