Mayor Im Byeong-taek: 'A meaningful event to reflect on local history and community culture with residents'
Siheung will hold the 9th Siheung Salt Flats Salt Festival at the salt farm experience site inside Gaetgol Ecological Park on Sept. 20 at 2 p.m., in conjunction with the Siheung Gaetgol Festival.
The event was organized to share Siheung's salt farm culture — one of the city's defining ecological and cultural assets — with residents. The Siheung Salt Flats Salt Festival revives the traditional salt ritual once held to pray for a bountiful harvest and community well-being at the Sorae Salt Flats, which began operating during the Japanese colonial period and closed in 1996. The festival has been held annually since 2018 as part of the city's "Siheung Open-Air Museum" project.
This year, the event coincides with the Siheung Gaetgol Festival, running Sept. 18 through Sept. 20, so that more residents and visitors can experience both the ecological value of the tidal flats and the history and culture of the former Sorae Salt Flats. The program will feature a performance by the Siheung City Traditional Arts Troupe, a salt ritual ceremony and a reenactment of traditional salt harvesting.
The city expects the event to introduce visitors to Siheung's distinctive salt farm culture alongside the tidal flat ecosystem. Officials also see it as an opportunity to carry traditional culture forward in a contemporary setting and to highlight the value of local cultural heritage.
"The Siheung Salt Flats Salt Festival is a meaningful occasion to reflect on the region's history and community culture together with our residents," Siheung Mayor Im Byeong-taek said. "I hope that by linking it with the Siheung Gaetgol Festival, more citizens and visitors will have the chance to experience the charm of Siheung's Sorae salt farm culture."
pjh@heraldcorp.com
