Mokpo Hana Senior Welfare Center held a special cultural event called "A Very Special Boknal" to help local seniors stay healthy and energized through the summer heat, the center announced Wednesday.
Mokpo Hana Senior Welfare Center held a special cultural event called "A Very Special Boknal" to help local seniors stay healthy and energized through the summer heat, the center announced Wednesday.

Mokpo Hana Senior Welfare Center (director Kim Bong-su) held a special cultural event titled "A Very Special Boknal" to help local seniors stay healthy and lift their spirits during the summer heat, the center announced Wednesday.

The event drew about 100 local seniors and featured Park Jae-yong, the country's first certified "Boknal specialist instructor" and head of 55 Art Center, as host.

Designed as a participatory cultural welfare program — going beyond the traditional custom of eating restorative food on Boknal — the event gave seniors a chance to laugh, move and make memories together. Park took the stage dressed as the beloved "Illo village rooster" character and led the entire program in the warm, familiar Jeolla dialect.

The first segment explored the geographic and cultural ties between Muan's Illo area and Mokpo, drawing strong resonance from the audience. The second segment featured a "midsummer fitness Olympics" — including a four-step chicken-dance exercise, a shoe-tossing contest and a boiled-egg-and-spoon relay race — bringing health and laughter to the crowd. The program then moved into a one-man drama performance titled "Where Am I?" drawn from Park's own life story, before closing with a ceremony presenting nutritional eggs to seniors as a wish for their long and healthy lives.

Park previously served as head of the strategic projects division at the Gwangju Institute for Culture and Contents Industry and now leads 55 Art Center. A graduate of Chung-Ang University's theater and film department, he holds a first-class recreation instructor certification and has received a commendation from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. He works as both a cultural planner and performance director.

"I wanted to bring laughter and comfort to the seniors who have devoted their lives to their families," Park said. "I hope the spirited energy of the Illo village rooster helps them beat the heat of the final dog days."

Kim Bong-su, director of Mokpo Hana Senior Welfare Center, said Boknal should be a day that warms the heart as much as it nourishes the body. "I hope this event gave our seniors a gift of health, laughter and warm memories," Kim said. "We will continue to develop a wide range of cultural welfare programs to support a happy later life for seniors in our community."


sij@heraldcorp.com