[Lotus, A Flower Comes Out Once More] Two folktales in the performance. Where you can meet the essence of Korean Dance. Jeongdong Theater, which is located in Jeongdong-gil; the beautiful street in flower-blooming pring, has a meaning of succession of ‘Wongaksa’, the first modern theater in Korea. Jeongdong has presented performances which retells Korean folktales and has help the audiences to understand it with qualified stage. Especially, <Lotus, A Flower Comes Out Once More>, which has its premier on last April. 6, is a well-made Korean traditional dance drama on which Korean folktales and traditional dance are combined.     This performance sends us a message about the true love, combining Korean folktales and newly recreating them as a Korean traditional dance drama. At the first, ‘The tale of Mrs Domi’ is a folktale of the period of three states in Korea. The king of Baekje has Mrs Domi, a humble woman, in his mind and he put her in danger to make her parting with her husband. However, with her wise courage, she overcomes from the trick of the king confirming the love with her husband. Igongbonpuri, another folktale in the performance, is a narrative shamanic myth in Jeju. The story is about a woman called Wongangam who died after her slave life in difficulties. She finally comes to life again as a flower called Wongangami thanks to her husband and son who buried her body in a flower garden. These two stories were combined and the performance <Lotus, A Flower Comes Out Once More> came out. This story which came from the two folktales contains the theme of ‘overcoming’ and ‘reviving’ which feature frequently in Korean traditional ideology so the meanings are coming heavily to the audiences who live in modern society. The image of strong woman from Mrs Domi and Wongangami is described into Seoryeon’s character, the protagonist of the performance. In the background of imaginary Joseon Dynasty, this performance presents the image of wise and strong woman who keeps her ideals in the difficulties and the path of achieving her wishes from her revive into traditional dance drama. The lyrics from <A song of floral tribute> and <A love song> cite words from folktales which are very familiar to Korean people and it raises bond of sympathy. Also, you can see various Korean traditional dance such as parilmu, a dance performed by 64 female dancers in ritual ceremony, Taepyeongmu, a dance praying for the peaceful reign and prosperity of the royal family, Geommu, a traditional sword dance which became powerful in the performance as man’s dance. I would love to strongly recommend this performance to whom love Korean traditional dance and look forward beautiful dance performance!       Interview with Chunghan Kim, Director and Choreographer of ‘Lotus, A Flower Comes Out Once More’ Q. Please talk about the title and the concept of <Lotus,>. The title <Lotus> came from the name of the protagonist, ‘Seo-ryeon’. (‘Ryeon’ literally means ‘Lotus’ in Korean language.) The story borrow its motif from ‘the tale of Mrs Domi’ of the period of three stages in Korea and ‘Igongbonpuri’ , a shamanic tale from Jeju Island. The main characters are the King and his man, general ‘Dodam’ and dancer ‘Seo-ryeon’. ‘Seo-ryeon’ is a important character of the story as she receive the loves from the King and Dodam at the same time. Dodam and Seo-ryeon confirmed their love and it is reason why relationship of the king and Dodam has problem. The tension from the triangle love is the main concept of this performance. Q. What is the symbol of the subtitle, ‘A flower Comes Out Once More’?​ The king is a character who let Seo-ryeon in for pain and difficulties using his power. However, she protects her self from the power. I would like to deliver two messages through this story. First, the King who uses his power in incorrect way is very similar with our social situation. There are many people who got hurt from it. Therefore I wish the people get more hope and comport from the reincarnation of Seo-ryeon. Second, I would like to talk about ‘Love’ and the beauty of Seo-ryeon through the character of a woman who keep the beauty her self against the power of the king.

Basilla, a 2017 Performance Presented in Collaboration between Jeongdong Theater & Gyeongju World Culture Expo  The Show Has Become Even More Powerful Than Ever!  - SILLA: Basilla, an upgrade repertoire of the Gyeongju Brand Performance Presented by Jeongdong Theater A hidden story from the Silla Kingdom with a thousand years of history  The breathtaking performance you can find only in Gyeongju -      SILLA: Basilla has become an even more powerful and spectacular show, presented by Jeongdong Theater in 2016 as a part of its performance series in Gyeongju The breathtaking performance you can find only in Gyeongju   Jeongdong Theater Foundation (CEO: Son Sangwon) showcased an upgraded version of Basilla, a major repertoire of the Gyeongju Brand Performance SILLA on March 27 at Cultural Center Theater, Gyeongju World Culture Expo. Premiering in 2015, Basill are interprets a Persian epic poem called Kush-Nama in an attempt to incorporate historical content and performance art, and uses storytelling as an important tool that can appeal to the audience. Audiences have highly praised the show for depicting the incredible cultural encounter between the Persian Empire and Silla Kingdom through a new kind of stage performance and stage directing. In 2016, Basilla has returned as an even more intense and spectacular show, with several new features that add more depth to choreography, more sophistication to video design, and a stronger sense of narrative to music. As a part of the "Project for Revitalizing Local Culture" that began in 2011, Jeongdong Theater launched the Gyeongju Performance Brand called SILLA and showcased high-quality creative traditional performances in the local area so as to take a big step towards establishing a theater that produces only traditional performance art. Jeongdong Theater has successfully introduced to the field of cultural tourism a futuristic performance art which can still reflect the history and culture of Gyeongju. Basilla attracted a total of 2.000.000 audience members by the end of 2015 and greatly enhanced its reputation as a Gyeongju Brand Performance.     This year's upgraded version of Basilla ains to differentiate itself from any other local open-run show as a "must-see performance with a high level of performance" by creating more sophisticated and artistic scenes on stage. The audiences will be able to enjoy a more intense, spectacular, and harmonious show filled with artistic choreography with a strong sense of narrative, beautiful costumes and props that reenact the grand culture of the Silla Kingdom and the Persian Empire, video and lighting designs that blur the distinction between reality and fantasy, and great music that successfully delivers the story. Basilla, a repertoire of the Gyeongju Brand Performance presented by Jeongdong Theater, tells a hidden story from the Silla Kingdom 1,500 years ago, and it will soon become the most recognized Open-Run Show in Gyeongju once again.  

​• Are you curious of what marriage is?  If you are in ardent love, or soon-to-be married, are you sure of the person next to you? Here is the answer. Please come and see!  • All married couples live on obligation not on love?  Gradually did you get used to each other too much to say I love you? Sometimes you can’t even bear your partner? You will know that no other than the person next to you is your lifetime friend, if you see .  • The only family-friendly performance in Daehangno  Are you looking for a performance that all your family can watch together?  deals with a story that anyone can enjoy regardless of age and gender. Please come to see this with your parents and children! 

The festival takes place every May in the area of Jungnang-gu where thousands of roses blossom to form a 5.15km-long rose tunnel. Performances and activity programs will be prepared to entertain visitors along with a magnificent finale of fireworks on the last day of the festival. Nighttime visitors are welcome to enjoy the sight of roses as well with their beauty maximized by a variety of lighting effects. The festival celebrates each day with diverse contents based on different themes and provides photo zones throughout the event venue for visitors.

For 7 days in June, National Taekwondowon in Muju, Jeollabuk-do brings competitors from over 170 countries to compete in Muju WTF World Taekwondo Championships. Visitors can watch non-stop competitions from 16 weight divisions (eight each for men and women), and also enjoy various taekwondo performances and many other events.

ULTRA KOREA was the first music festival in Asia and continues to dominate the scene. This grand production has a great line-up with top EDM artists from around the world, including Alesso, Dash Berlin, Dubfire, Hardwell, KSHMR, Martain Solveig, Nic Fanciulli, Nicky Romero, Pendulum, Sasha & John Digweed, Steve Angello, Tchami, Tiesto, and more.

Travel Back in Time to 1890! Visit the 1890 Namsangol Night Market to experience what life was like in the year 1890! This special event will run every weekend at Namsangol Hanok Village from June 3rd through Oct. 28th, 2017. The night market will feature a traditional layout, much like what would have been used during the Joseon Dynasty, but there will be fun modern touches to enjoy as well.  Visitors can enjoy activities and events that blend the traditional with the modern; that fuse East and West. There will be traditional games competitions, traditional music performances, and traditional clothing fashion shows, all featuring foreign nationals as performers. There will be a range of interactive events and visitors will also have a chance to try traditional Persian food. Enjoy tasty food, activities, and events at Namsangol Hanok Village! • Event Dates : Jun. 03, 2017 ~ Oct. 28, 2017  

Taean F Festival is a flower festival held annually in the Sinon-ri area in Nam-myeon. During the festival, various cultural events and flower markets are held against the backdrop of beautiful flowers. Taean F Festival holds a themed festival for each season: tulips in spring, lilies in summer, lights in winter, and autumn flowers in fall. During the lily festival in summer, the venue is covered with lilies in shades of white, yellow, plum and red. The lake in the middle of the venue will be decorated in the theme of “Byeoljubu” (traditional Korean story of the Turtle and the Rabbit). There will be rabbit village to the left, a tortoise village to the right, and a character village on the perimeter of the venue. Hands-on programs such as feeding animals, making cookies, making soap bubbles, and making masks and face painting are also available.

Fete de la Musique, a music festival that is held in France every year is coming to Sinchon. The street festival will give people a chance to experience different culture from around the world while enjoying music and events.

In the past, kimjang(kimchi-making) day was a day for sharing love, a day for festivals and feasting. Designated as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, kimjang has gone global and kimchi has become a classic, healthy food much loved by people around the world. With the first Seoul Kimchi Festival in 2014, the much forgotten Korean sharing spirit comes alive and kimjang was created into a cultural festival that has developed into a leading global sharing festival in Seoul. Celebrating the theme ‘Happy sharing, Kimjang day,’  the 4th Seoul Kimchi Festival will offer visitors opportunities to touch, feel and taste the unique Korean kimjang culture through various programs  such as Making&Sharing Kimchi, where over 5,000 people get together to  make kimchi for the underprivileged, Seoul Kimjanggan, where participants  get to try their hands at making kimchi for our families as well  the Kimchi Market and Kimchi Imagination Playground etc.  From November 3rd (Fri) to 5th (Sun), 2017, Kimjang Day! A festival with an authentic kimjang theme to create an enjoyable kimjang culture rich in traditional value. We hope that everyone will have a magical time at Seoul Kimchi Festival. Event name : The 4th Seoul Kimchi Festival Date and Time : November 3rd (Fri) ~ 5th (Sun), 2017 Venue : Seoul Plaza, Mugyo-ro Host : Seoul Metropolitan City Organizers : Seoul Metropolitan City, Kimchi Association of Korea, MIRAL Welfare Foundation