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| Singers perform during the opening concert of the DMZ Open Festival at Imjingak Peace Park in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, May 20. Courtesy of Gyeonggi Provincial Government |
By Ko Dong-hwan
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The DMZ Open Festival, taking place to the south of the inter-Korean border region throughout November, was launched by the Gyeonggi Provincial Government and its sub-agency Gyeonggi Tourism Organization. The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was designated following the Korean War armistice in 1953. Since then, the vast stretches of land sandwiched between the two countries have remained, for the most part, quiet and untouched.
The festival's opening concert was held at Imjingak Peace Park in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on May 20. Performers included an ensemble of Western-gugak fusion music, the military marching band from the I Corps of the Republic of Korea Army, a children's choir and rock band Guckkasten. Held in three parts, the concert ran from noon to late afternoon.
The Peace Cooperation Bureau under the provincial government released, Thursday, a lineup of performers and venues for the upcoming concerts in June and July.
On June 11, classical numbers will lilt through the former Pocheon Catholic Church which was erected by the VI Corps of the Republic of Korea Army shortly after the Korean War was halted. It is the only church built by the country's military forces that remains standing. Believed to have been built in 1955, the church is a nationally registered cultural heritage.
The performers include a pianist, an oboist, a bassoonist and singers who are all currently active in the United States.
The follow-up concert is on June 17 at Deokpojin Fort in northern Gimpo. Also a national heritage site, the archaic stone fort from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) will host the concert titled "Mozart in Deokpojin" featuring an ensemble of violinists and a flutist.
It is followed by a third installment near the DMZ on July 15, which features a choir of children with disabilities and an ensemble of wind instruments. The venue remains undecided as of Thursday.
Im Mi-jeong, chief director of the DMZ Open Festival, said she wanted to cast "blissful openness" over the closed DMZ by linking music to the historical sites. With the rest of the festival agenda still under planning, the director said each concert will uniquely embody the values of ecology, peace and history connected to the DMZ.
The concerts from August will be held across the inter-Korean border regions of Paju and Yeoncheon County and also livestreamed, Kang Hyeong-joon, an official from Peace Cooperation Bureau, told The Korea Times.
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