Held Saturday at North Seoul Dream Forest, drawing more than 1,010 residents; traditional games and cultural booths from South Korea, Vietnam, Japan, China and Thailand
Gangbuk-gu in Seoul successfully concluded the 5th Continental Family Cultural Experience — "Learning About Cultures from Around the World" on Saturday at Changpowon Garden in front of La Foresta at North Seoul Dream Forest, the district announced.
The Continental Family Cultural Experience brings together local residents, including multicultural families, to experience and exchange the cultures of various countries firsthand. The district has run the project in partnership with the Gangbuk-gu Family Center since 2019, and from 2025 expanded it beyond multicultural families to allow all types of families to enjoy the cultures and games of countries around the world.
Following the 4th Continental Family Cultural Experience — "Family to Family, We Are One!" held along the Uicheon stream earlier this year, the latest event drew more than 1,010 participants, including 62 families who had pre-registered and residents who visited on the day.
The event featured traditional games and cultural experience booths representing five countries: South Korea, Vietnam, Japan, China and Thailand. Craft-making booths and play-activity booths were operated separately to allow participants to move through the program more smoothly.
On-site activities included Korean jegi-chagi (hacky sack) and pinwheel making; Vietnamese shuttlecock kicking (da cau) and dragonfly making; Japanese face-puzzle matching (fukuwarai) and spinning-top making; Chinese shuttlecock kicking (jianzi) and kaleidoscope making; and Thai coconut-shell stilts (don kara) and mini-kite making — a full lineup of programs the whole family could enjoy together.
Families who completed the booth activities received commemorative gifts, with additional prizes provided through the sponsorship of Seoul Wontop Dental Clinic.
A highlight of the event was the participation of marriage immigrants enrolled in Gangbuk-gu Family Center programs, who personally introduced and ran booths showcasing the traditional cultures and games of their home countries. Attendees shared their impressions, saying their children easily learned about the characteristics of other countries, that they enjoyed spending time together as a family, and that they discovered each country has its own unique identity even while sharing similarities with others.
Gangbuk-gu District Mayor Jeong Chang-su said it was meaningful that multicultural families and local residents could come together on a clear autumn day at North Seoul Dream Forest to experience the cultures of various countries and share warm connections. "Going forward, we will continue to develop a range of family-friendly programs to build a Gangbuk-gu where multicultural and non-multicultural families respect each other's cultures and thrive together," he said.
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