Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Gangwon Province and Pyeongchang-gun

Organized by Pyeongchang-gun and the Traditional Performing Arts Foundation

21 teams to compete, with a youth division drawing attention

Korean folk arts
Korean folk arts

The 67th Korean Folk Arts Festival, the country's largest folk arts event, opens Friday at Jinbu-myeon Sports Park in Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon Province.

Running through Sunday, the three-day festival is hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Gangwon Province and Pyeongchang-gun, and organized by Pyeongchang-gun and the Traditional Performing Arts Foundation. Some 5,000 people are expected to gather, including representative competition teams from 16 cities and provinces nationwide as well as the five provinces of North Korea.

Thursday's opening ceremony will feature a procession of the 21 general-division competition teams and a pre-ceremony performance by the Pyeongchang Arari Preservation Society.

Singers Hong Ji-yun, Park Ji-hyun, Shin Seung-tae and Kim Ki-tae will perform throughout the event, and busking stages will bring together local and professional artists.

Invited singer Hong Ji-yun
Invited singer Hong Ji-yun
Invited singer Park Ji-hyun
Invited singer Park Ji-hyun

A range of hands-on programs will also be on offer, including traditional crafts, folk game experiences and special exhibitions. The local food courtyard will let visitors sample regional dishes and Pyeongchang's signature buckwheat pancakes.

The general-division competition runs Friday and Saturday at a natural-grass soccer field, where city and provincial representative teams from across the country will showcase vanishing regional folk games, nongak percussion music, folk songs and folk dances.

On the festival's final day, Sunday, the youth division will hold its opening ceremony, competition and awards presentation before the closing ceremony brings the three-day event to a close. The top prize — the Presidential Award — will be presented to the winning team.

Ganggangsullae, a traditional Korean circle dance [Provided by the National Heritage Promotion Agency]
Ganggangsullae, a traditional Korean circle dance [Provided by the National Heritage Promotion Agency]

Park Seo-woo, head of the culture and arts division, described the festival as "a place where you can encounter the very best of Korean folk arts all in one spot," adding, "We have prepared not only the excitement of competition but also plenty to see, eat and experience — we hope many people will visit Pyeongchang and take home unforgettable autumn memories."


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