Gyeonggi Province Appoints Provincial Ambassador for 2021 Let's DMZ Peace Art Festival

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hoon] Official provincial ambassadors have been selected for 《2021 Let's DMZ Peace Art Festival》, which takes the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) as its stage to usher in a spring of 'Peace Again' on the Korean Peninsula.

Yi Jae-kang, Vice Governor for Peace of Gyeonggi Province, presented appointment certificates to the official provincial ambassador group on the 14th at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government building to promote the Let's DMZ Peace Art Festival widely to large audiences both within and outside the province.

The 《2021 Let's DMZ Peace Art Festival Provincial Ambassador Group》, composed of 10 teams, includes 12 ordinary citizens with personal stories related to the DMZ, peace and art, and life.

The group consists of visual artists, literary writers, teachers and students, YouTubers and others spanning from their teens to their 70s with diverse professional experience. Notably, two residents from Daeseong-dong village in Paju—the only civilian residential area within the DMZ—are also among the ambassadors.

The provincial ambassadors will undertake promotional activities in coordination with various events of the Let's DMZ Peace Art Festival from their appointment date through October, including forums, concerts, exhibitions, and experiential programs.

Beyond participating in various online and offline events, they will actively promote the special value of the DMZ and messages of peace to citizens both within and outside the province through their personal social media and civilian exchanges.

Vice Governor Yi Jae-kang stated, "The 2021 Let's DMZ Peace Art Festival will become an event where not only Gyeonggi Province residents but citizens around the world share a common understanding of peace," and added, "Based on their personal connections to the DMZ, these ambassadors are expected to lead the expansion of public engagement with the peace art festival."

This year marks the third year of 《2021 Let's DMZ Peace Art Festival》, with its core message being 'Peace Again'—a dual meaning expressing hope that peace will return to inter-Korean relations where dialogue has ceased, and that our daily lives, which have contracted due to COVID-19, will regain peace.

The exhibition and experiential program 'DMZ Art Project' starting May 20 at Imjingak Peace Nuri Park in Paju opens the doors to the 2021 Let's DMZ Peace Art Festival.

Followed on the 21st-22nd by the academic event 'DMZ Forum' with the participation of domestic and international scholars and the performance 'DMZ Concert' featuring music of various genres celebrating peace, to be streamed live online.

In the second half of the year, the sports event 'DMZ RUN' to invigorate people in their mundane daily lives, and 'Let's DMZ Pop-up Zone' to be held in various cities and counties throughout the province await as rich venues for comprehensive experience.

Previously, on April 16, actor Kim Ui-sung was appointed as both a promotional ambassador and vice-chairman of the organizing committee for the 2021 Let's DMZ Peace Art Festival.

Taking into account the COVID-19 situation, Gyeonggi Province plans to prepare the peace art festival this year as a safe event that prioritizes thorough quarantine management and combines both online non-contact and offline formats.