A community-run mini-festival designed to breathe new life into the Songjeong district market in Donghae, Gangwon Province, has drawn warm praise after organizers donated most of its proceeds to a local scholarship fund.
The Songjeong District Urban Regeneration Residents' Council, led by Kim Hyeong-rae, donated 1 million won ($713) from the proceeds of the one-day festival — known as "Bulgeum Jeonpa, Songjeong" — to the Donghae Citizens' Scholarship Foundation on Thursday.
Bulgeum Jeonpa, Songjeong is a resident-led urban regeneration program in which local residents and merchants work together to revitalize the Songjeong market and its surrounding alley businesses through performances, food and hands-on activities.
The name "Bulgeum Jeonpa" is a contraction of "Burning Friday, Assorted Jeon Party." Residents and merchants conceived and organized the program themselves to inject energy into the Songjeong market and the transit-oriented area around Donghae Station.
The residents' council prepared signature dishes including whelk noodles, potato pancakes and dried pollack, while nearby shops drew visitors with offerings such as fried chicken, cold raw fish soup and spicy chicken feet.
The event also marked the 80th anniversary of the Navy's 1st Fleet Command with a civilian-military partnership program. Organizers held discount events for Navy personnel and civilian military employees, and a joint civilian-military walking event took place. A military band performance drew enthusiastic applause from attendees.
The scholarship donation carried particular weight as a direct return of urban regeneration gains to the community. Residents revitalized their neighborhood and then shared the proceeds with local youth — creating what organizers described as a virtuous cycle of urban regeneration, community vitalization and social giving.
"Bulgeum Jeonpa Songjeong is a program that residents built together through shared effort, so we wanted to share its results with the community," Kim said. "It is a small gesture, but we hope it helps local students pursue their dreams. We will consistently carry forward resident-led urban regeneration and community giving."
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