Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, on April 22 will host the opening ceremony for this year's Cultural City of East Asia, an annual event of cultural exchange among Korea, China and Japan. Shown in Gimhae is the Tomb of King Suro, which will be open for night visitors from April 19-21 as part of sideline events prior to the ceremony. (Gimhae City Hall)

By Margareth Theresia
Photos = Gimhae City Hall

The opening ceremony for this year's Cultural City of East Asia is slated for April 22 at Maru Hall of Gimhae Art & Sports Center in Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, the host city's government said on April 9.

Korea, China and Japan have hosted the annual festival of cultural exchange by selecting cities in the three countries as East Asian cultural cities to represent each nation's cultural traditions and hold related events year-round.

For this year's event, Gimhae in Korea, Weifang and Dalian in China, and Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan were picked as host cities. Ishikawa, however, dropped out after an earthquake that hit the region early this year, leading to the selection of another traditional Japanese city.

The opening ceremony on April 22 will begin with beokkuchum (drum dance) performances by Choi Seon-hee's Gaya Dance Company, followed by a traditional shadow puppet show from China and a traditional Japanese dance. The New World Philharmonic Orchestra led by conductor Gum Nanse, Gimhae City Choir, 1 Million Dance Studio, and singers Eun Ga-eun and Baek Ji-young will also perform.

The ceremony is open to everyone and admission is free. Reservations can be made from April 11 at 10 a.m. on the event's official website (www.gimhae.go.kr/cceagh.web). For those unable to enter the performance hall, an outdoor screen at the center's Aedureum Madang will air it live.

Ahead of the ceremony, events will be held like concerts and an art market from April 19-21 around the Tomb of King Suro, which will also be opened at night. For example, the event "Don (pork) Asia" will allow visitors to sample pork dishes of the three countries, including the Gimhae specialty dwitgogi.  

"Starting with bold events like East Asia Cultural City and Visit Gimhae Year, this year will be extremely important for upgrading Gimhae's cultural brand a notch," Gimhae Mayor Hong Tae-yong said. "Since the protagonist of the festival is none other than the people, we will do our best to make this a happy year for them."

This is a promotional poster for Cultural City of East Asia 2024.