Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation wraps up Gyechon Classic Festival with 16,000 visitors

The Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation announced Monday that the 2026 Gyechon Classic Festival, held in Gyechon village in Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon Province, concluded successfully after a three-day run.

Organized by the foundation and hosted by the Korea National University of Arts, the festival ran from June 5 to 7 under the theme "The Tune." It drew roughly 16,000 visitors in total, including 14,000 who attended the main performances, along with visitors to the flea market and hands-on programs.

This year's festival carried the slogan "Back to the Forest" and offered a range of programs for audiences to enjoy classical music in a natural setting. The opening stage featured all students from Gyechon Elementary and Middle School, followed by performances from violinist and Korea National University of Arts professor Lee Ji-hye, pianist Kim Song-hyun and violinist Kim Hyun-seo.

A surprise appearance by cellist Han Jae-min drew a particularly strong response from the crowd. At the Starlight Concert, Han performed Saint-Saëns' Cello Concerto No. 1 as a soloist, then joined the Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra's cello section as a regular member to play Dvořák's Symphony No. 8 — an unusual moment that stood out for the audience.

On the festival's final day, violinist Danny Koo and the Ditto Orchestra closed out the program with a performance blending classical music and popular appeal.

A newly introduced program this year, "Classic Unboxing," also drew considerable attention. Despite the venue holding only 100 people, more than 300 applied in advance. Music journalist Kim Ho-jeong and professor Lee Ji-hye answered audience questions about classical music, and the session was warmly received.

Other performances included a "Sunshine Concert" by the CMK Ensemble, led by flutist Lee Ye-rin, and the Solus Brass Quintet, a "Moonlight Concert" by guitarist Park Gyu-hee, and a "Park Concert" held at Gyechon Classic Park.

Throughout the festival grounds, the Munhori River Flea Market, hands-on activity programs and busking performances by local artists added to the atmosphere, presenting the event as a multifaceted cultural festival blending music with regional culture. The festival also operated on a paperless basis and ran a campaign encouraging visitors to take their trash home, reinforcing its environmentally conscious approach.

"This year's Gyechon Classic Festival went beyond simply watching performances — it showed in tangible terms how music can clear away the noise of everyday life and help tune a new rhythm for living," a foundation official said. "We will continue to build a solid foundation for cultural arts that drives sustainable change in local communities through classical music."

The Gyechon Classic Festival was launched as part of the foundation's "Arts Village Project," its flagship cultural arts and social contribution initiative. It grew out of the Gyechon Starlight Orchestra, which the foundation established in 2009 to save Gyechon Elementary School from closure, and has been held as a full-scale festival since 2015. This year marked its 12th edition.

Over the years, world-renowned musicians including pianists Cho Seong-jin, Lim Yun-chan and Paik Kun-woo have performed at the festival, which has now drawn a cumulative audience of more than 150,000.