The 2013 Yeong-­Am Wangin Culture Festival

 

The festival season is about to blast off in Korea! As the weather clears and becomes warmer, look forward to a busy “pre-spring” with almost any kind of festival, from Cherry Blossoms to Butterflies or even makoli (Korean rice wine). Why travel when the 2013 Yeong-Am Wangin Culture Festival will be held from April 5 to 8?

This historical festival has been running for about 12 years now and it is like stepping back in time. Happening right here in our province near Yeong-Am, a city about one hour away, the Wangin festival seeks to educate attendees about the positive cultural legacy and history Korea shares with Japan through celebrating Dr. Wangin’s achievements through various performances and cultural events.

Dr. Wangin, a maverick scholar, began his mission over 1,600 years ago by venturing to Japan to educate people about Korean culture and art as a pioneer of the Hallyu movement. His mission in Japan included teaching the Thousand-Character Text and the Discourses of Confucius. According to an official Korean tourist website, “Wangin taught writing composition to the Japanese and developed the foundations of education, which greatly influenced all areas of study, including social science, politics, economics, culture and art.”

Dr. Wangin, also a renowned Baekje scholar, is said to have departed the area where the festival site is located in Japan at the request of the Japanese Emperor Eungshin, even serving as tutor to the Japanese crown prince. The website also mentions: “Wangin was well-known for his part in the development of Japanese culture. Wangin educated beyond textbooks and made great contributions to the development of arts, crafts and music and is revered as the originator of Japan’s Asuka culture.”

Thus to bring awareness to this builder of cultural bridges, the Yeong-Am Wangin Culture Festival was established to spread the legacy of the Doctor. And festival attendees will not only see where he grew up and started most of his work, but also be able to participate in various events to commemorate his life.

The festival is located in the region of the Wolchulsan National Park. Here visitors can partake in traditional experiences, such as learning how to conduct a proper tea ceremony, learning how to fly a traditional Korean kite, dying natural fabric and even dressing in traditional Korean costumes worn in the Baekje Dynasty when Dr. Wangin lived. The highlight of the event is participating in the mega-parade, down blossom-lined streets recreating the epic bon voyage of Dr. Wangin setting off for Japan.

Aside from the great cultural activities, there is also the chance to win cash prizes sponsored by the GFN Radio Station and gwangjublog.com.

The first event will be the “GFN K-pop Singing Contest,” which is open to all foreigners from Gwangju and Jeollanam-do… Eight finalists will be chosen to perform on April 6 at the Wangin Culture Festival in Yeongam. All finalists will receive prize money! The selected finalists will perform on Saturday, April 6 on the main stage. The first prize winner will receive 500,000 won,2nd place will receive 400,000 won, 3rd place will receive 300,000 won (2 teams), 4th place with receive 200,000 won (2 teams) and 5th place will receive 100,000 won (2 teams).

If you are not up for singing there is also a Scavenger Hunt happening on the same day that will be sponsored by gwangjublog.com.

Participants will search the festival site for specific clues and perform tasks, and those who collect the most clues in the least amount of time will be crowned the winners. Free t-shirts, lunch and free shuttle buses will all be provided. Registration’s well underway, so check www.gwangjublog.com for updates and further details.

Over 500,000 won in prizes will be rewarded, with the first prize team receiving 300,000 won, the second place team receving200,000 won, the third place team receiving 100,000 (for 2 teams) and the fourth place team receiving 50,000 (for2 teams).

If you want to spend a Saturday experiencing unique Korean culture, as well as winning some awesome cash prizes, check out the 2013 Yeong-Am Wangin Culture Festival and the aforementioned websites for more details to potentially rake in the cash while remembering Dr. Wangin and basking in the Cherry Blossoms!

See more pictures below!