Trot singer Oh Seung-ha, who trained in gugak, and gugak performer Nam Sang-il will host the opening ceremony of the 66th Korean Folk Arts Festival.
The 66th Korean Folk Arts Festival, held from the 26th to the 28th at the Yeongdong County Sports Complex in North Chungcheong Province, will feature the nation's top traditional folk arts competitions and cutting-edge media performances with participation from 32 groups nationwide and about 1,300 people.
Oh Seung-ha, a graduate of Hanyang University's gugak department, is a transmission holder of the national intangible cultural heritage gyeonggi minyo who won the grand prize, the Minister of Culture and Sports Award, at the 21st Gangwon National Gyeong, Seodo and Gangwon Sori Competition.
Gugak performer and broadcaster Nam Sang-il has led the popularization of gugak through gugak performances and broadcasting activities. A recipient of various cultural and arts awards such as the "Today's Young Artist Award" and the "KBS Gugak Grand Prize," he has served as MC and panelist at numerous events and broadcasts and was chosen as the host of this Korean Folk Arts Festival.
A representative of the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Traditional Performing Arts said the reason for selecting them as hosts was that trot singer Oh Seung-ha, trained in gugak, and national gugak figure Nam Sang-il are figures who embody the symbolic alignment with the festival's diverse attempts, as they have connections between traditional music and modern popular music.
Oh Seung-ha and Nam Sang-il will each join invited singers such as Hong Ji-yoon, Kim Jung-yeon and Granada on the celebratory stage to showcase their passionate singing charm. On site there will be fireworks, folk play experiences, various hands-on booths for family audiences, and a local specialty market among other colorful side events.
The 66th Korean Folk Arts Festival, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Traditional Performing Arts, will install a media archive tower inside the festival grounds and present new impressions with advanced programs that blend tradition, such as an AI-restored stage message from master Nangae Park Yeon, fusion gugak and LED performances.
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