The Goseong Cultural Foundation in Goseong-gun, Gangwon Province, has introduced an art therapy program aimed at helping residents rest and recover. The program is called "Yesul Yeonko" — meaning art as a healing salve.
Yesul Yeonko is an art therapy project that uses art as a medium to support the emotional recovery and social connection of local residents. The foundation has run the project since 2023, shortly after the official end of the pandemic, with a focus on the mental well-being of Goseong-gun residents.
This year, the foundation is running two programs side by side: "Arirang Dongdong," an intensive institution-linked art therapy program developed in partnership with the Goseong-gun Dementia Care Center, and "Sound Terrace," a community-participation art therapy festival open to all Goseong-gun residents.
Through these two tracks, the foundation plans to deliver specialized art therapy to residents receiving welfare and care services while also broadening the general public's exposure to art therapy. Sound Terrace will be held at Dalhol Culture Center on Sept. 6, with registration opening Thursday.
The individual programs are refined to a degree that would impress specialists from major cities.
Sound Terrace is a full-day art therapy program built around the theme "Filling Everyone's Day with Sound." Participants listen to music, handle instruments, feel sound through their bodies, and reflect on their own emotions and stories.
The event is divided into pre-registration programs and on-site drop-in programs. Participants can move through various spaces inside Dalhol Culture Center, taking part in scheduled sessions as well as spaces open throughout the day.
The pre-registration lineup consists of four programs: "Let's Go Outside!" — a storybook music journey for children ages 4 to 5 and their guardians; "Three Doors to My Heart," a Guided Imagery and Music program in which participants explore their inner feelings through music and imagery; "Sound in the Present: Handpan Mindfulness," which uses the resonance and breath of the handpan; and "Our Family Percussion Project," in which families play a variety of instruments together.
The pre-registration programs are open to children ages 4 to 5 with a guardian, adults in need of rest and recovery, and family groups. Capacity limits and session times for each program are available in the official notice on the Goseong Cultural Foundation website.
Alongside the pre-registration sessions, the event will also offer walk-in programs on the day — including instrument experiences, live sound performances and a sound archive — requiring no advance sign-up. Participants can try instruments and experience live sound during scheduled time slots, and can visit the sound archive space to record the sounds and emotions they encounter throughout the day.
Pre-registration opens online on a first-come, first-served basis Thursday at 1 p.m. Registration links and QR codes will be available on the Goseong Cultural Foundation website and official social media channels.
Sound Terrace runs from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 6 at Dalhol Culture Center. Program schedules and details are available on the foundation's website and official social media. Admission is free.
"We hope Sound Terrace becomes a time for diverse participants — children and guardians, adults, families — to meet sound in their own way and care for themselves," a foundation official said.
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