Festival takes gold in video promotion and silver in safety management at global contest organized by IFEA
25th edition draws 510,000 visitors, including 33,547 from 79 countries
Songpa-gu's flagship cultural festival, the Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival, has won gold in the Best Video Promotion category and silver in the Best Emergency Response and Risk Management Plan category at the Pinnacle Awards world competition, the district announced.
Known as the "Olympics of festivals," the Pinnacle Awards is an international recognition program run by the International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA), which selects and honors outstanding festivals and events from around the world each year. This year's world competition was held in Tucson, Arizona, with 30 countries competing across 67 categories.
The Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival is Songpa-gu's signature event, reinterpreting the history and culture of the Hanseong Baekje kingdom — which flourished some 2,000 years ago — through contemporary cultural and artistic content. The 25th edition, held last year under the theme "The Power of Culture, Moving Forward as One," featured performances spanning traditional and modern genres, including Korean traditional music, media art and K-pop. The three-day festival drew 509,897 visitors.
Foreign visitors numbered 33,547, comprising 8,909 foreign residents in Korea and 24,648 overseas visitors. Attendees came from 79 countries, including Japan, China, the United States and Taiwan, underscoring the festival's growing potential as an internationally recognized cultural event.
The awards validate the festival's strengths in both video content production and safety management on the world stage.
In the video promotion category, the festival's cinematography — capturing the energy of performances on a 60-meter-wide main stage and the atmosphere of the crowd — earned praise for its content planning and production quality.
In the safety management category, the emergency response and risk management plan for an event drawing roughly 510,000 visitors received high marks. The district built a real-time on-site monitoring system and a coordinated response network among police, fire department and medical services to prevent accidents and ensure swift responses on the ground.
Songpa-gu has consistently won awards at the domestic Pinnacle Awards competition; last year it took gold in the video and media category and bronze in festival safety. This year's double win at the world competition extends that record to the international stage.
Songpa-gu will hold the 26th Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival at Olympic Park's 88 Lawn from Friday through Sunday. Under the theme "Brilliant Culture, Deep Resonance, United as One," the festival will feature an expanded lineup — including a 60-meter main stage, a drone show with 900 drones, and classical music, Korean traditional music and K-pop performances.
Safety staffing has also been reinforced: the district will deploy more than 200 safety personnel per day, an increase of about 70 from last year. More than 20 hands-on programs for children and families have been added so that visitors of all generations can enjoy the event together.
Songpa-gu District Mayor Seo Gang-seok said the awards "represent global recognition of the Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival's artistic excellence and our capacity to run a safe event." He added that the district would continue to raise Songpa's city brand value through creative, high-quality cultural content and work toward making Songpa a city where refined culture and the arts are part of everyday life.
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