(C) At the opening ceremony of the '2026 Cheonan K-Culture Expo' held at the Great Courtyard of the Independence Hall of Korea on the 2nd, 1,500 drones fill the night sky..

The '2026 Cheonan K-Culture Expo,' the nation's largest comprehensive cultural industry expo, kicked off its 5-day schedule with an opening ceremony held on the 2nd at the Independence Hall of Korea.

Co-hosted and organized by the City of Cheonan, the Independence Hall of Korea, and the Cheonan Cultural Foundation, the expo sheds light on the diversity and industrial value of Hallyu cultural contents under the theme, "K-Culture, Standing at the Center of the World."

The city reorganized its exhibition system and significantly expanded participatory contents with the goal of creating an expo that "grows together with the community, provides comfort to citizens, and is enjoyed by everyone."

The opening ceremony, held at the main stage of the Independence Hall's Great Courtyard of Korea (Gyeore-ui Keunmadang), was attended by some 3,000 people, including Cheonan Mayor Jang Ki-soo, South Chungcheong Province Governor Park Soo-hyun, National Assembly Member Lee Jae-kwan, diplomatic envoys such as the ambassadors of Mexico, Italy, and Sri Lanka, and the deputy ambassador of Germany, as well as citizens.

(C) Cheonan Mayor Jang Gi-su is giving an opening address at the opening ceremony of the '2026 Cheonan K-Culture Expo' held on the main stage at the Great Courtyard of the Independence Hall of Korea on the 2nd...

The opening ceremony began with the theme performance "MODERN Seongju" by the Cheonan City Heungtaryung Pungmul Troupe and the gugak a cappella group Toris, followed by the opening declaration, a drone and laser show, and celebratory performances.

In particular, a swarm flight show utilizing 1,500 drones lit up the night sky over the Independence Hall, followed by celebratory performances by popular artists such as Davichi, Alpha Drive One, Rescene, and Hype Princess.

Prior to the opening ceremony, an opening ceremony for the industrial exhibition halls was held in front of the Tower of the Nation (Gyeore-ui Tap). The city streamlined the existing exhibition system to introduce three core industrial exhibition halls: K-Food, K-Webtoon, and K-POP.

(C) Cheonan Mayor Jang Gi-su and key dignitaries are cutting the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the industrial exhibition hall for the '2026 Cheonan K-Culture Expo' held in front of the Tower of the Nation at the Independence Hall of Korea on the 2nd...

The K-Food Hall introduced traditional fermented foods and future food cultures while hosting export consultation sessions linked with KOTRA. The K-Webtoon Hall operated a special exhibition for local artists and AI robotic arm caricatures. The K-POP pop-up exhibition hall welcomed visitors with an AI virtual idol debut experience.

During the expo period, a series of events will unfold on the main stage: a K-Rock Concert (YB, 10cm) on the 3rd, a K-OST Concert (Kim Na-young, Melomance, K.Will) on the 4th, an SBS Radio "Cultwo Show" public broadcast on the 5th, and a foreigner festival and the closing ceremony on the 6th.

Cheonan Mayor Jang Ki-soo stated, "We have structured the event so that visitors can experience the industrial value of K-Culture in one place by fusing the historical significance of the Independence Hall with cutting-edge technology. I hope many will visit the site during the expo period and enjoy the diverse Hallyu contents.

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