Visitors listen to a boy who is part of the program Children's Heritage Guides of the event "Gunsan Heritage Night" in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do Province. (Gunsan City Hall)

By Kang Gahui

"Gunsan Heritage Night," a leading cultural event in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do Province, has won the bronze prize at this year's Pinnacle Awards of the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) of the U.S.

Gunsan City Hall on Oct. 12 announced that the program's Children's Heritage Guides and Children's Performance Troupe won the bronze in the category Best Children's Programming.

The guides are elementary school students in Gunsan who introduce their city's history and national heritage to visitors, while the troupe drew praise from IFEA judges for its original musical based on the city's modern cultural heritage.

Founded in 1956, IFEA presents its annual awards to festivals and events worldwide based on evaluations of creativity, professionalism, operational performance and contributions to communities.

"Gunsan Heritage Night" covers historical sites in the city's old downtown. This year's event from Aug. 14-16 and Aug. 21-22 was held at locations including the former Gunsan branch of Joseon Food Corp., attracting 150,000 visitors, 63.2% of whom were from outside the city.

kgh89@korea.kr