Seoul Opens Arms to World in Urban Fest

Pedestrians gather around a car-restricted road in Kwanghwamun, downtown Seoul, as they root for their side in a match of ``Chajonnori,'' a Korean folk game, at last year's Hi Seoul Festival.

By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter

Seoul will start its annual festival of art, music, performing arts and outdoor attractions this week, treating thousands of locals and tourists to diverse entertainment and fun at venues spread across the city.

For this year's ``Hi Seoul Festival,'' now entering its fifth year, city officials have expanded the schedule and beefed up the programs in their drive to create a globally-recognized event; establishing it as Seoul's answer to the better-known urban fests at Edinburgh, Munich, Rio de Janeiro and other cities.

The festival will continue for nine days through May 6, longer than previous events that lasted around three to five days.

City officials have also expanded the venues beyond the downtown gathering points of Seoul City Hall and Kwanghwamun, with a large number of programs played out in the grounds of the old Chosun Kingdom Palaces, the Pukchon traditional village and at the embankments of the Han River, among other areas.

``The main emphasis of the programs is to create events where participants can be given an impression of the city's 600-year-old history as well as the energy of people shaping the future. We have invested boldly in events including `King Chongjo's Royal Procession' that has never been tried on this scale before,'' said Pyo Jae-soon, a 70-year-old dramatist who is the art director of this year's Hi Seoul Festival.

``We have everything for everybody. All you need to do is get out of the house and let yourself loose,'' said Pyo, who also participated in creating the opening ceremonies for the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan.

The festival will kick off with a lavish opening ceremony on Friday at the riverside stage in Yoido that will combine state-of-the-art pyrotechnics and a boat flotilla alongside performances of top pop starts such as Lee Hyo-lee, Super Junior, and Psy.

Organizers have put much emphasis on tradition for this year's event and nothing represents such efforts better than ``King Chongjo's Royal Procession'' that will take palace April 29.

The event reenacts the famous journey of Chosun's King Chongjo (1776-1800) who made a royal to visit his mother in Hwasong, Kyonggi Province. The reenactment will include around 930 participants and 120 horses.

Thousands of people are expected to join the parade that will start from Changdok Palace and continue through Myongdong, Namdaemun, Seoul Station, Yongsan Station and Nodlesom, an island on the Yongsan section of the Han River.

At the Pukchon traditional village, organizers will recreate villages, market places, and even a police bureau exactly as they might have looked during the Chosun Kingdom (1392-1910).

Through the event that will continue from Friday to Sunday, visitors will be able to trade their money for old currency to buy goods inside the village and also partake in a variety of exhibitions and games.

There will also be a variety of events alongside the Han River. Organizers will hold its first annual ``World High Wire Championships'' May 3-5 at the Soyudo section of the Han River, inviting the world's master ropewalkers in a battle of skills.

At the Ttuksom and Nanji sections of the Han River, organizers have prepared the ``Arisu'' festival that allows participants to engage in activities such as rafting, windsurfing, canoeing, water pistol shootouts and other programs.

Another interesting event is the ``Citizen's Hangang Walkathon'' that will be held between the Jamwon and Nodlesom districts of the Han River on Sunday, which will allow participants to walk through the shallow parts of the river on a submerged pathway 30 centimeters underwater.

For young fun-seekers, the ``Seoul DJ Festival'' might draw some interest. The musical event will be held May 4-6 on the embankments of Han River's Nanji section and will combine dance parties with music provided by globally renowned club DJs and live performances of popular Korean punk rock bands.

thkim@koreatimes.co.kr

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