Icheon City Reaffirms Mutual Cooperation with Sister City Gongju through 71st Baekje Culture Festival

[Suwon Ilbo=Eom In-yong Reporter] Icheon City announced on the 12th that a delegation led by Vice Mayor Park Jong-geun recently visited Gongju City in South Chungcheong Province, a sister city, to celebrate the opening of the '71st Baekje Culture Festival'.

This visit to Gongju City was a continuation of the ongoing friendship and exchange that has been sustained since the two cities established a sister city relationship in 2005.

Over the years, both cities have maintained a solid bond over 20 years through mutual visits and exchanges in various fields including culture, administration, and tourism.

The opening ceremony was held on the 3rd at the main stage of Geumgang Shin-gwan Park, featuring pre-ceremony performances, official events, celebratory performances, and a drone light show. The drone light show, featuring a total of 1,071 drones, created a spectacular display across the night sky, marking the festival's grand opening.

This year's festival theme is 'Baekje World Cultural Heritage, Embraced in a Silver Cup,' and the signature performance 'NEW Ungjin Fantasia' is composed of an immersive stage that combines wide screens, 3D imagery, and special effects, telling a story that spans Baekje's past, present, and future.

The 'Ungjin silver cup' is a 15-centimeter-high metal craft work excavated from King Muryeong's tomb in 1971, serving as a cultural artifact that demonstrates the exquisite craftsmanship and artistry of Baekje artisans, and was utilized as a motif for the festival theme and performances.

Meanwhile, the city plans to focus on strengthening mutual ties through regular cultural exchanges with Gongju City, collaboration on festivals and performances, and joint content development.

Vice Mayor Park Jong-geun of Icheon City said, "We express deep respect for Gongju's attempt to develop the excellence of Baekje culture into global cultural content like 'Ungjin Fantasia,'" and added, "We look forward to further development of friendship and cooperation with Gongju City."