INTERVIEW Cheonan spreads 'Korean spirit' worldwide through K-culture Expo

Cheonan Mayor Park Sang-don speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, May 10. Courtesy of Cheonan City Government

CHEONAN, South Chungcheong Province — The ongoing global phenomenon of Korean culture and its unique essence is attributed to the nation's historical background of fighting for freedom during the Japanese colonial rule of Korea from 1910 to 1945, according to Cheonan Mayor Park Sang-don.

Calling this the “Korean spirit,” the mayor said the southern city aims to spread it across the globe by hosting the K-culture Expo next week. The city's annual event made its debut last year.

“The genesis of K-culture began with King Sejong's creation of Hangeul. Without Hangeul, K-culture as we know it today would not have existed,” Park said during an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, May 10.

King Sejong the Great, the fourth monarch of the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty, invented the Korean writing system to revolutionize education in his kingdom.

Based on this invention, Park said, “The country could truly develop its own cultural, financial and national defense power after achieving independence (from the Japanese colonial occupation)."

Cheonan is the home and battleground of several independence fighters, including student independence activist Yu Gwan-sun, who led the popular March 1 uprising in 1919.

An aerial view of the opening ceremony of the 2023 Cheonan K-culture Expo at Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, Aug. 11, 2023 / Courtesy of Cheonan City Government

Notably, the city’s Independence Hall of Korea, a 3.97 square-kilometer facility that exhibits the country’s history of fighting for freedom and achieving national sovereignty, is the largest of its kind among some 150 nations that achieved independence after World War II, Park explained.

Thus, he said, the city and its Independence Hall of Korea are the appropriate venues to stage the K-culture Expo and celebrate its ongoing global popularity.

The city’s inaugural edition of the expo held there last year was an immediate success.

“In August last year, we held the first K-culture Expo and showed potential as a new leading city for the global wave of Korean culture,” he said.

The five-day event allured over 130,000 domestic and overseas visitors and featured a wide spectrum of live performances and Korean content ranging from the history and future of the country’s culture and cultural industry.

It was the first event that comprehensively included several genres of K-culture, which other municipalities or organizations have never tried, despite K-culture’s soaring popularity, the mayor noted.

An aerial view of the opening ceremony of the 2023 Cheonan K-culture Expo at Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, Aug. 11, 2023 / Courtesy of Cheonan City Government

For this year’s event, which runs from May 22 to 26, Cheonan aims to further expand its scope to attract 300,000 visitors and offer more diverse programs harmonizing the country’s past and future.

Park foresees developing the expo into a global event, based on his experiences of launching the renowned Boryeong Mud Festival nearly 30 years ago, and making exchanges with international cities.

As a former mayor of Daecheon City — now Boryeong City — Park came up with the idea for the mud festival in 1994, which has become the country’s one of the most celebrated summer events. The annual mud extravaganza now attracts large crowds to the country’s west coast every year.

Visitors wave Korean flags during the opening ceremony of the Cheonan K-culture Expo 2023 at the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, Aug. 11, 2023. The event attracted over 130,000 domestic and international visitors. Courtesy of Cheonan City Government

Plus, as the host city of the annual Cheonan World Dance Festival, Cheonan chairs the Federation of International Dance Festivals (FIDAF). Established in 2012, FIDAF consists of 89 members from 83 countries who are stakeholders and specialists in dance festivals around the world.

The city has an international exchange as well with 12 cities from nine countries worldwide, including Beaverton in the United States, Shijiazhuang in China and Campinas in Brazil, among others.

In Park’s view, K-culture is, in the long run, a tool for introducing the nation’s history and philosophy abroad and the path to becoming a true “global cultural power,” as asserted by Kim Gu, a politician and educator who led the Korean independence movement against the Japanese empire.

Cheonan City Mayor Park Sang-don gives a congratulatory speech during the opening ceremony of the Cheonan K-culture Expo at the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, Aug. 11, 2023. Courtesy of Cheonan City Government

Park cited Kim Gu’s famous passage from “My Wish,” in which the activist wrote, “The only thing that I desire in infinite quantity is the power of a noble culture. This is because the power of culture both makes us happy and gives happiness to others.” The passage highlights the intangible yet immense power of culture that breaks down all boundaries and transcends time.

Park said, “By globalizing the Cheonan K-Culture Expo, we will present the true ‘K-spirit’ to the world.”