Gimpo City hosts 39th Jungbong Cultural Festival

The 39th Jungbong Cultural Festival was held on the 19th at the Gimpo Art Village Hanok Village in Unyang-dong. The festival, hosted by Gimpo City and organized by the Gimpo Cultural Center, honors the spirit of Jo Heon, a local righteous army leader, to establish the city's cultural identity.

The event included the memorial service at Ujeo Seowon, the birthplace of Jo Heon, and the 38th Jungbong Youth Literature Award ceremony. Park Seo-jun from Yangdo Middle School received the grand prize for the literature competition themed ‘Me and Jungbong Jo Heon’.

New interactive programs were introduced, such as the ‘Jungbong Maninso’, where citizens wrote wishes on scroll-shaped partitions, and the ‘Jungbong Memorial Quest’ quiz. Traditional performances, including the Gimpo Folk Arts Festival featuring local sounds like Tongjin Dure Nori and Gimpo Hyangsan Nongak, were also featured.

During the festival, lecturer Choi Tae-sung gave a presentation on the life of Jo Heon. Gimpo Mayor Lee Ki-hyung engaged with citizens regarding their concerns about health, childcare, and education, stating his goal is to create an environment where citizens can be proud to live in Gimpo.