[The Fifth Part of the “Go Local to See Local 100” Campaign]

Minister YU In Chon of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) visited Chuncheon (Mayor YOOK Dong Han, Chuncheon) in Gangwon State for the fifth part of the “Local 100” campaign, titled “Go Local to See Local 100” (“Go Local”) on May 31 (Fri).

Starting with Miryang in December last year, Minister YU has been visiting Local 100 sites across the country every month, including Gangneung in January, Suwon in February, and Changwon and Tongyeong in March. In May, he visits Chuncheon, a designated City of Culture, attending the Chuncheon International Mime Festival, a Local 100 event, and the 2024 Korea City of Culture Expo held at the same venue. In addition to participating in the Chuncheon International Mime Festival, Minister YU met with representatives of Potato Bread (Chuncheon) and Surfyy Beach (Yangyang), both prominent Local 100 attractions that draw numerous Koreans and foreigners to Gangwon State, to discuss revitalizing local culture and regional tourism, followed by visits to local cultural and tourism sites.

Visited “Chuncheon International Mime Festival, a Local 100 attraction“ and declared opening at “City of Fire; Dokkaebi Nanjang”

Established in 1989 and now marking its 36th year, the 2024 Chuncheon International Mime Festival has grown to become one of the world’s three largest mime festivals, alongside the London International Mime Festival in the United Kingdom and the Mimos Festival in France. This year’s festival, themed “Warm Body,” started from May 26 and continued until June 2. In particular, the festival linked with the 2024 Korea City of Culture Expo, gathering Cities of Culture from across the country, and the K-Pop Playground, featuring K-pop groups and dance teams to offer visitors a more diverse experience.

On the evening of May 31, Minister YU attended the main event of the festival, titled “City of Fire; Dokkaebi Nanjang,” where he officiated the opening ceremony. “Dokkaebi Nanjang” continued to excite with fire, following a festival that started with water, titled “City of Water; Ah! Surajang.” Minister YU’s opening declaration marked his second announcement since his previous opening at “Ah! Surajang” at the “22nd Chuncheon International Mime Festival” in 2010.

Minister YU also visited the K-Pop Playground (LEGOLAND^® parking lot) at the Chuncheon International Mime Festival on the occasion of the 2024 Visit Korea Year and enjoyed the K-Pop Random Play Dance with tourists. The K-Pop Playground is one of ten major projects of the 2024 Visit Korea Year. Starting at the Chuncheon International Mime Festival on May 31, it will be held at ten renowned local festivals and tourist destinations nationwide, including Busan, Seoul, Daegu, Boryeong, Haenam, Jeonju, Gyeongju, and Incheon, continuing until the end of September.

The 2024 Korea City of Culture Expo serves as a platform for sharing the narratives of Korea’s Cities of Culture with 24 others from across the nation

On May 31, Minister YU attended the opening ceremony of the 2024 Korea City of Culture Expo to welcome representatives from 24 cultural cities across the country and those involved in Korea’s Cities of Culture. He also recognized individuals who have made significant contributions to promote the cultural cities. Following the ceremony, Minister YU embarked on a tour of each city’s pavilion, personally greeting visitors along the way.

The MCST, in collaboration with the National Council of Cities of Culture (Host City Chuncheon), hosted the 2024 Korea City of Culture Expo under the theme A City of People, a City of Love from May 30 to June 2. Aligned with this year’s Chuncheon International Mime Festival theme, “Warm Body,” the expo aimed to showcase exhibitions where visitors can experience the unique cultural characteristics of each City of Culture and enjoy a festive atmosphere of warm hospitality. During the expo, 24 Cities of Culture shared their major achievements, and local governments whose plans for receiving approval as cities of culture in December of this year will promote their vision and business plans.

The MCST designates Cities of Culture under the Regional Culture Promotion Act to enhance cultural creativity by effectively utilizing the unique cultural resources of each region. Currently, a total of 24 Cities of Culture, ranging from the first to fourth tier, have been designated, including Chuncheon. In addition, 13 cities have received approval for their plans to establish Cities of Culture.

Visit Everyone’s Salon and Urban Street Salon, representative projects of Cities of Culture Chuncheon

On the morning of May 31 (Fri), Minister YU also went to Everyone’s Salon and Urban Street Salon, two of Chuncheon’s flagship City of Culture projects.

Everyone’s Salon is a project aimed at creating cultural life zones within a 15-minute distance by transforming abandoned empty houses into community spaces for citizen gatherings. As of 2023, 24,584 citizens have visited the place. During his trip to Everyone’s Salon Hupyeong, Minister YU engaged with active local creators in Chuncheon, along with representatives from Chuncheon Potato Bread and Surfyy Beach—both prominent attractions featured in Local 100—to hear their perspectives. The Urban Street Salon is a project that transforms local commercial spaces (restaurants, cafés, etc.) into community spaces customized to citizens’ preferences, with approximately 120 developed since 2020. Minister YU participated in a cultural healing program for citizens arranged by the Clang Forest owner, one of the Urban Street Salons. Moreover, he met with and encourage the owners of various Urban Street Salons.

Visit Local 100 sites every month to promote unique regional features both at home and abroad

Minister YU said, “Local 100 serves as a captivating cultural asset that attracts people to visit local regions.” He added, “This edition of Local 100 was designed to connect the Chuncheon International Mime Festival, one of the world’s top three mime festivals, with Chuncheon’s cultural places, highlighting it as an appealing destination to visit, stay, and live in. I am committed to furthering the promotion of regions endowed with distinctive cultural resources and charms, both nationally and globally, through the Go Local campaign every month.”