The Fire and the Fight: A Night at The Gwangju Chilseok Gossaum Festival

February 23, 2013

Hundreds had gathered to welcome the first full moon of the Lunar New Year.  A tradition happening throughout all of Korea, it holds a special place here in Gwangju. Three hundred years ago, a famous folk game was invented here in Otdol Village in Chilseok-dong, Nam-gu.  The game, called gossaumnori (고싸움놀이), is brought back to life every year at the Gwangju Chilseok Gossaum Festival. Visitors were welcomed to a weekend of events. However, Saturday night hosted the main events which were not to be missed.

Heidi Haley studied Film and Video at Georgia State University getting her Bachelors in Communication Arts with a minor in Theatre and Linguistics. A fan of the “moving image” with cinematography heroes like Emmanuel Lubezki and Christopher Doyle, her interest in photography was always present, but only recently has it become a more passionate hobby. With a filmmaker’s eye she tries to tell a story with each image she shoots.  She came to South Korea in February 2010 where she has lived in Gwangju teaching High School English for the last three years.