Participants in "The Glocal 63 Expedition" on July 13 take a photo at a farm in Eumseong-gun County, Chungcheongbuk-do Province. (Glocal Town)

By Kim Seon Ah

Eumseong-gun County, Chungcheongbuk-do Province, allows visitors to explore the world without a passport.

Food, dance, music and languages from multinational youths harmonize in one place, allowing experiences with the cultures of 63 countries in the town. With provincial decline and depopulation posing a major national challenge, this so-called youth village, or Glocal Town, created by immigrants, youths and residents in Eumseong-gun has quietly but decisively fueled change.

"The Glocal 63 Culture Show," which ran from August to November, featured highlights from the cultures of 20 countries such as Thai cuisine, a Vietnamese show on cutting tropical fruit, Colombian salsa dance and experience at an Indian yoga ashram. Participants went beyond merely tasting food and watching performances and took part in cooking, dancing and sharing their lives with youths from around the world.

The vision for Glocal Town by its head Lee Ahri, namely "a society that embraces and appreciates diversity," is incorporated into every program.

Youth visitors to Glocal Town use their cameras to capture daily life in the county. They take the video production course dubbed "Glocal 63 Expedition" in the morning and visit places within Eumseong-gun in the afternoon for recording in their respective languages.

Everyday spaces like a Vietnamese restaurant, bakery founded by young entrepreneurs and workshops for small business owners receive new life through cameras. The youths said it was their duty to show the region as is, capturing the faces and voices of residents through videos to present to the world.

The perception of Eumseong-gun residents to foreign nationals has accordingly changed.

"It was nice to taste various cuisines and talk to youths from around the world," said Kim Kungja, who participated in Egyptian and Peruvian culture shows. "I hope Glocal Town spreads worldwide."

Otgonbaigal Bolor-Erdene, a Mongolian who was initially worried about the language barrier, said, "Everyone was so welcoming. Language wasn't a problem at all, and I now keep in touch daily with friends from various countries."

The Glocal Town model has gained attention not only for its multicultural appeal but also its ability to change the perception of expats from merely "labor" to neighbors and companions.

Created by youth from around the world and supported by its residents who seek to take part and grow together, Glocal Town in Eumseong-gun offers a path forward that youth policy failed to find before. This place allows world travel without a passport and renewed understanding of differences among cultures, potentially serving as a model for regional revitalization.

sofiakim218@korea.kr