Gyeongsan hosts 25th National Jeongga Competition

Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, held the 25th National Jeongga Competition on Sunday at Daegu Catholic University.

Co-hosted by North Gyeongsang Province and Gyeongsan City and organized by the Korea Jeongga Promotion Association, the event drew 278 participants — 71 individuals and 207 competitors across 17 teams in the group category.

In the general division, Shin Yun-sol of Seoul took the top prize, the Prime Minister's Award, along with a cash prize of 5 million won ($3,750). The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister's Award for excellence went to Maeng Hwi-seo, also of Seoul.

Gold prizes in the general division went to Yun Su-hyeon in the Seoltong category and Lee Hana in the Han Janggun category.

In the student division, Lee Ye-eun of the National Traditional Arts High School won the top prize in the high school category. Gold prizes went to Jeong Eun-u in the high school category, Kang Seo-yeon in the middle school category and Park Su-a in the elementary school category.

In the group division, the Jinju Integrated Branch of the Korea Traditional Arts Federation claimed the top prize in the general category. Gold prizes went to the South Gyeongsang Province Gugak Jeongga Education Research Association in the general category, Tanhyeon-myeon Dahamkke Dolbom Center in the student category and Ajeong in the instrumental accompaniment category.

Jeongga is a traditional Korean vocal art form that sets sijo poetry and gasa verse from the Joseon period to music, and is regarded as a cultural heritage embodying the refined spirit and aesthetic sensibility of the "seonbi," or Joseon scholarly class.

A Gyeongsan City official said the city hoped the competition would shed new light on the value of traditional music and contribute to the preservation and development of jeongga, adding that it would continue to support the conservation and transmission of traditional culture while expanding residents' access to cultural experiences.