▲ This photo, provided by the Korea Ceramic Foundation, shows the Gonjiam Ceramic Park. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

 

SEOUL, August 23 (Yonhap) -- The city of Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, announced on Tuesday that it has decided to reduce the "25th Gwangju Royal Ceramics Festival," which was scheduled to be held at Gonjiam Ceramic Park from August 26 till 28, as damage has occurred in various parts of the region due to the recent torrential rains.

The festival promotion committee decided to cancel the opening ceremony on the first day, as well as events including the national singing contest, camping experience, and parade. Instead, it decided to focus on pottery sales and exhibition programs along with small-scale performances by local artists.

"The Royal Ceramics Festival was suspended from 2020-2021 due to COVID-19, and so was preparing for it to be held in three years," a city official explained. "Despite the cancellation of some programs, Doja Market will continue to be operated from August 26 till September 12 as scheduled."

617 mm of torrential rain fell in the Gwangju area from August 8 till 11, resulting in a total of 567 victims and 1,261 damages including 782 public facilities and 479 private facilities.

The government declared 10 areas as special disaster zones, including 4 in Gyeonggi, 3 in Seoul, and 1 in Gangwon among the areas affected by heavy rain.

 

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Haemin Kim.)

 

 

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