A Day to Get Together! 2022 Gwangju Together Day

Written by Karina Prananto

Photos by Park Tae-sang

No one expected that May 22 was going to be scorching hot. Soon after the event ended, although volunteers and booth participants felt their necks burning from the heat, one thing was for sure: They were as happy as could be, as they had been able to hold a successful offline event.

In accordance with the Basic Act on the Treatment of Foreigners in Korea, May 20 is designated as Together Day every year by the Ministry of Justice to eliminate discrimination and prejudice caused by differences in nationality, race, and culture, as well as to appreciate the diversity of local communities. The Gwangju International Center (GIC) has helped organized this event, hosted by Gwangju City and the Gwangju Immigration Office, for a few years now.

Small in number yet strong and united in a sense to promote their countries’ culture to Gwangju citizens, 10 global food booths and seven global culture booths participated that day. Gwangju citizens seem to be so eager to finally taste different kinds of world food and experience traditional games, as we saw people keep coming in. It was truly a day to celebrate, not only for the community as a whole, but because we have overcome the difficulties from the recent rise of the pandemic. We hope to see you again in future GIC events.