Gimpo City is gearing up for its premier traditional cultural celebration, the Jungbong Cultural Festival, designed to honor the historical roots and cultural identity of the region. Hosted by Gimpo City and organized by the Gimpo Cultural Foundation, the 39th annual event is scheduled to take place on September 19 at the Gimpo Art Village Hanok Village located in Unyang-dong.

The festival traces its origins back to 1984, when the Gimpo Cultural Center—initially established in 1964 to investigate and research local history and culture—first launched the event to solidify the community's cultural identity. The namesake of the festival, "Jungbong," is the pen name of Jo Heon, a prominent Joseon Dynasty scholar and loyal righteous army general who fiercely fought during the Japanese invasions of Korea (Imjin War). Jo Heon’s profound patriotism, loyalty, and scholarly dedication remain a cornerstone of Gimpo’s historical heritage.

The festivities will officially commence with the solemn "Jungbong Jo Heon Guyuje" (traditional memorial rite) held at the Ujeowon Shrine. Following the opening ceremony, this year's program places a heavy emphasis on public participation and interactive engagement, breaking away from conventional, passive viewing experiences to offer visitors an immersive journey into traditional Korean culture.

To achieve this, the venue has been thoughtfully divided into four distinct themed experience zones. The Jungbong Experience Zone allows visitors to experience traditional customs firsthand, featuring activities such as tasting traditional yangtang (a traditional soup), face painting, and making dalgona (Korean honeycomb toffee). The Pottery Experience Zone invites family visitors of all ages to try their hand at crafting their own ceramics directly. Meanwhile, the Traditional and Symbiosis Zone offers opportunities to play traditional musical instruments and folk games, accompanied by a nostalgic yeomjangsu (traditional candy seller) experience and diverse local food spaces.

In addition to these hands-on zones, the front yard of the Gimpo Cultural Center will host the Gimpo Folk Arts Festival, highlighting regional heritage through performances such as the Daemyeong-ri Boat-Floating Song, Tongjin Dure Nori, and Hyasan Nongak (farmers' music).

A major highlight of this year's festival is the "Jungbong Manninso and Gimpo Wish Wall" program. Reinterpreting the traditional Joseon-era Manninso (a massive joint appeal written by thousands of scholars and citizens to the king) in a modern context, this interactive project invites citizens to write down their personal wishes. These written aspirations will be compiled into a single, grand scroll exhibition. Adding to the community spirit, Gimpo Mayor Lee Ki-hyung is scheduled to personally read aloud a selection of these citizen wishes at the site and present special tokens of appreciation to active participants. Furthermore, complementing these community activities, renowned history lecturer Choi Tae-sung will host a special lecture under the theme "Jungbong Jo Heon and Appeal Documents," shedding light on Jo Heon's scholarly life and righteous spirit through his historical petitions.

Reflecting on the preparation for this year's landmark event, Gimpo Mayor Lee Ki-hyung emphasized the active nature of the festival. He noted that the 39th Jungbong Cultural Festival has been meticulously curated to transcend a mere spectator-based event, evolving instead into a festival built collectively through direct citizen participation. He expressed his sincere hope that the gathering will serve as a meaningful occasion for residents to reflect upon Gimpo's rich history and tradition while keeping the loyal and righteous spirit of Jungbong Jo Heon alive in contemporary hearts.

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