Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, known as the "capital of spiritual culture," opened this year's "East Asian City of Culture" program, launching a six-month cultural exchange initiative that brings together the cultures of Korea, China and Japan.
According to the North Gyeongsang provincial government on Thursday, the East Asian City of Culture program has been held annually since 2014 following an agreement at the 4th Korea-China-Japan Culture Ministers' Meeting in 2012. Under the program, cities representing each country's cultural traditions are designated as East Asian Cities of Culture to carry out cultural exchange projects. This year's participants include Andong, China's Suzhou and Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, and Japan's Matsumoto.
This year's event is held under the slogan "Andong, Where Peace Resides and the Heart Finds Rest," centered on four core values: a spiritual culture of contemplation and reflection, a play culture of fun and emotion, a food culture embodying stories and care, and a cultural heritage where tradition and modernity coexist. The opening ceremony was held on Thursday with officials from Matsumoto and a traditional performing arts troupe in attendance.
The event will be held in conjunction with Andong's signature spring festival, the Chajeon Janggun Noguk Gongju Festival, with Talchum Park and the Jungang Line 1942 Andong Station area serving as main venues. The program features a cooking show by star chefs from the three countries, a "Secret Recipes of Andong's Head Housewives" class presenting the inherited culinary traditions of head matriarchs, and traditional snack experiences for children, offering attractions for family visitors.
Over the next six months, a range of exchange events will follow, including an East Asian Traditional Food Fair (May), a Youth Humanities and Arts Camp (June), a rock festival for traditional and contemporary fusion music exchange (July), and a Paper and Letters Biennale (October). Also scheduled are an East Asian Traditional Games Festival (May), a young artists' residency (June), a storytelling theater (August), mask exhibitions and experiences (September), a garden culture exchange (October), and a Korea-China-Japan collaborative fashion show featuring Andong hemp cloth and Andong hanji paper (October).
The province and the city of Andong plan to strengthen friendly ties with representative cultural cities in each country through the event and build a sustainable growth model that integrates culture, arts and tourism. With Andong designated as an East Asian City of Culture this year, following Gyeongju in 2022, North Gyeongsang Province further raises its standing as a leading cultural region of Korea.
"This will be a stage of harmony where Korea, China and Japan deepen their solidarity and broaden their understanding through culture," said Hwang Myung-seok, acting governor of North Gyeongsang Province. "Andong, which holds the most quintessentially Korean culture, will emerge as a key hub of East Asian cultural exchange through this event."
