Spring Flare in Seoul

Hi, Seoul Festival 2007 opens with great fanfare April 27-May 6

"Hi! Seoul Festival 2007"unveiled its curtain on April 27 with various festive events in downtown and along the Han River banks until May 6, the city announced recently.
Under the theme of "Miracle Seoul,"the 10-day annual cultural event, which is in its 5th year, will be a turning point for the metropolitan city to create a cultural miracle in the 21st century following the economic miracle the city achieved in the 20th century.
The festival will feature cultural products made with Seoul's 600 years old tradition as the capital of Korea and the Han River, the symbol for the ancient capital and offered to global citizens to relish and enjoy a unique aspect of Korean culture and tradition.
Tourists from home and abroad mixed with Seoul residents will relish the flare from the dynamic events that made up the festival, turning already the vibrant city, rich in diverse culture nurtured during six centuries of its special position as home to Joseon Dynasty royalties as shown in various forms of its royal traditions like the royal palaces where they lived.
This year's festival will have two sections, the Seoul Railroad Station Festival and the Seoul Miracle Festival designed to show off to the Earth Village the ancient city's core value and fun offered by the city as the center of cultural and tourism metropolis.
The areas for festive events will be expanded this year to include the river banks along the Han River, not limited to ancient palaces and the Seoul Plaza. The Han River Citizens Park will be turned into a huge stage, along with Yeouido, Ttuksom and Nanji Islet in the Han River to supplement the locations traditionally used for the festival such as ancient palaces, the North village in northern part of Seoul, known for its uniqueness and geared to citizens participation.
The festival will have various contents diversified this year made of materials to introduce ancient life in palaces, musicals based on themes drawn from the life in royal palaces, including the recreation of a royal parade and the Seoul World DJ Festival.
In addition, the festival's opening ceremony will include performances by Hallyu stars including pop singers amid fireworks and a lantern parade on boats, along with a concert by Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, which will end the festival.
The city has extended the event to go for 10 days this year from 5 days in the past because the city has kicked off its tourism marketing program to attract 12 million foreign tourists by 2010 by selling Seoul as tourism marketing brand. Seoul will prepare its tourism programs for world tourists to come to the city to watch them, city officials said.
The best part of the festival, which has been established as the major festive event in Seoul, is that it is family-oriented so that all members of a family can watch it. The festival period includes May 5, the children's day, so that families with children can go to the festival events and enjoy with fun by letting children participate in some of the events made for them especially such as the Bae-Il-Jang, a writing contest,
in which the participants will compete to write a piece about a subject of their own choice and win a prize if selected among the best.
People participating the events will be presented with free gifts such as scarves and colored mufflers. Special tour packages will greet the tourists coming from China and Japan during the festival period, the city officials said.
"hi, Seoul Festival"first took place in 2003, following the successful 2002 World Cup finals that Korea and Japan co-sponsored, to continue with the excitement created with the Korean soccer squad making the final four of one of the biggest sports events in the world.
The festival has become one that represents Seoul to display the city's dynamic nature to the world and give pride to its residents by implanting the image of the city as a global cultural and tourism town like New York and Paris in the minds of people around the world.
City officials said we are living in the age in which the brand of a city decides its competitive strength and all major cities in the world have their own brands and others try to build their brand images. For example, London has the Edinburough Festival, and Rio De Janeiro Rio Carnival to make them known around the world. Likewise, Hi, Seoul Festival will be known as the one that represents Seoul taking its place as the brand of Seoul, the city officials said. nw

(Photos from left) A crowd of people cross the Han River below the Olympic Bridge during "Hi, Seoul"Festival 2006 with balloons over the bridge.
A scene from "Hi, Seoul 2006"at Seoul Plaza with fireworks over the night sky above the City Hall during the performance event.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, 2nd L, at a cultural event of the Hi,Seoul 2006, making a traditional food with foreigners.