Hello, this is 속초어때 (Sokcho Eottae). It is 11 p.m. on Friday, October 2, and Sokcho (속초) is 15°C with clear skies. This evening, the 61st Seorak Cultural Festival (설악문화제) opened at Expo Lawn Plaza (엑스포 잔디광장). But earlier the same day, there was also a schedule in which Sokcho's sound went on stage outside of Sokcho. The Sokcho Arirang Preservation Society (속초아리랑보존회) took the first slot in the joint performance at the Jeongseon Arirang Festival (정선아리랑제) at 2 p.m. It is a story that is easy to miss behind the festival news, so today we are summarizing this stage and Sokcho Arirang for you.
The stage announced for 2 p.m. today in Jeongseon
Here is what Sokcho City has stated. The performance is titled 'Song of Humanity, Arirang Composed Anew – Jeongseon, Sokcho and Wonju (원주) Meet', the time is 2 p.m. on October 2, and the venue is the performance stage at the Jeongseon Arirang Festival grounds.
- Opening stage: Sokcho Arirang Preservation Society, 'Arirang Carried on the Sea'
- Stages that follow: Regional performances by the Wonju Arirang Preservation Society and the Jeongseon Arirang Preservation Society
- Finale: A newly composed creative performance weaving together the Arirang of the three regions
- Support: Korea Heritage Service's '2026 Transmission Community Revitalization Support Project'
The theme the Society chose is 'Arirang Carried on the Sea'. It means conveying through song the lives and sorrows of the people of Sokcho, who have made their living around the East Sea (동해), the harbor, and Seoraksan (설악산). Standing side by side with Jeongseon of the mountain valleys and inland Wonju, Sokcho put the sea at the forefront.
However, we want to make one thing clear. All of the reports published up to 11 p.m., when this article is being written, are announcements previewing the performance. We have not yet been able to confirm any follow-up articles reporting the audience size or the atmosphere at the venue. For that reason, the above is written based on the plan Sokcho City announced in advance.
Why does the Jeongseon stage matter?
Jeongseon is a place that cannot be left out when talking about Arirang. The Jeongseon Arirang Festival, now in its 51st year, is being held from October 1 to 4 across the Jeongseon-eup area, including Jeongseon Public Stadium (정선공설운동장), the Arirang Center (아리랑센터), and Arari Park (아라리공원). This year's theme is 'The Sound of Jeongseon, Endless Flight', and 114 programs in 11 categories have been prepared.
Sokcho Arirang has been included as one segment on that stage. Sokcho Arirang was designated an intangible heritage of Gangwon State on May 24, 2024, so this means that 2 years and 4 months after its designation, it has come to sing under its own name in the home of Arirang.
This performance is not a one-off invitation, either. Sokcho City, Jeongseon County, and Wonju City are grouped together this year under a Korea Heritage Service support project. It is a project created so that the people who have carried on Arirang in the three regions can hear one another's songs and interact, and today's joint performance is one scene from that project.
What kind of song is Sokcho Arirang?
Many of you are probably hearing for the first time that Sokcho has an Arirang. There are quite a few Sokcho residents for whom that is true as well.
A study by Professor Jang Jeong-ryong of Gangneung-Wonju National University, published in the journal of the Gangwon Folklore Society in 2015, summarizes the characteristics of the Arirang of the Sokcho area as follows.
- Lyrics: Seoraksan appears in them, and they capture the residents' emotions and way of life against a backdrop of nature.
- Melody: The fast-moving jajin-arari style is sung often.
- Mode: It belongs to the Gangwon-do folk song tradition, in which the gyemyeonjo mode, with its sad and yearning feeling, stands out.
This study also grouped together the Arirang of the three cities and counties of Sokcho, Goseong (고성), and Yangyang (양양) and called it 'Seorak-area Arirang'. If Jeongseon Arirang resembles winding mountain roads, it is easy to understand Sokcho's Arirang as the song of people who have lived between Seoraksan and the sea.
Ahead of this performance, Sokcho Mayor Lee Byung-seon explained, "Sokcho Arirang is a cultural heritage that fully contains the history of a region that has pioneered the rough sea and the weary lives of its residents." Sokcho City stated that it will steadily provide opportunities for performances and hands-on experiences so that it carries on to the next generation.
That same evening, the Society's chair was a Citizen Award recipient
Today was also a day when schedules overlapped for the Sokcho Arirang Preservation Society. Last month, Sokcho City announced the three recipients of the '2026 Sokcho Citizen Award'. Among them, the recipient in the culture and arts category is Kim Young-soon, chair of the Sokcho Arirang Preservation Society.
The reason for the selection is the contribution of discovering Sokcho Arirang and systematically organizing it over some 20 years, creating a foundation for its transmission. Having taught traditional song to children and teenagers at the Sokcho Cultural Center and local elementary schools, and having contributed to the 2024 intangible heritage designation, were also cited.
The award presentation had been announced as part of the Seorak Cultural Festival opening ceremony held at 7 p.m. this evening at Expo Lawn Plaza. It was a day arranged so that in the afternoon Sokcho's sound would go on stage in Jeongseon, and in the evening the person who has safeguarded that sound would receive an award in Sokcho.
To encounter Sokcho Arirang in Sokcho
There are ways to experience it without going all the way to Jeongseon. There are two things 속초어때 has confirmed: this year's program and a recent development.
- Experience program '이어樂 (Ieorak)': The Sokcho Arirang Preservation Society started it on May 24 this year in the area of Bogwangsa Temple (보광사) at Yeongnangho Lake (영랑호). The schedule is to run it 4 times in total, moving the venue to Cheongchoho Lake (청초호), Sangdomun Stone Wall Village (상도문 돌담마을), and Seoraksan. Participation is free, with around 50 people per session, and the hours are from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. It consists of learning Arirang lyrics and rhythms, tasting potato rice (gamja-bap), and making small craft items using the lyrics.
- 5-year agreement: The Sokcho branch of Gangwon Minyechong (강원민예총) and the Sokcho Arirang Preservation Society signed a memorandum of understanding on September 15. They will jointly pursue regular performances, education, experience and competition events, and programs linked with local festivals over the next 5 years.
There is something to be careful about. We were not able to confirm the dates of the remaining 이어樂 sessions this time. Some sessions may have already ended, so if you wish to take part, please check the notices from Sokcho City or the Sokcho Arirang Preservation Society first. Advance registration was the rule, and on-site registration was accepted only in part.
Three days of holiday: how to see both festivals
From National Foundation Day (Gaecheonjeol) tomorrow, the 3rd, through the substitute holiday on the 5th, it is a three-day holiday. Two festivals are being held during the same period within Gangwon-do.
- Jeongseon Arirang Festival: It runs through Sunday the 4th. On the 3rd, an Arirang parade and an A-POP dance competition are scheduled. Jeongseon is a distance from Sokcho for which you should allow a good two hours or more by car, so if you are making a day trip, it is better to leave in the morning.
- Sokcho Seorak Cultural Festival: On Saturday the 3rd, there are street parades at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Seorak Rodeo Street (설악로데오거리). From 6:30 p.m., youth programs and performances follow. After the closing performance at 7 p.m. on Sunday the 4th, fireworks are scheduled.
If you are a traveler staying in Sokcho, there is no particular need to go all the way to Jeongseon. Just watching the street parade on the 3rd and the closing on the 4th will fill your schedule. Conversely, if you are a resident interested in Arirang itself, a route of spending the day of the 3rd in Jeongseon and returning for the Sokcho closing stage on the evening of the 4th is also possible.
Sokcho right now, as of 11 p.m.
As befits the night before a holiday, the indicators for accommodations and attractions are high.
- Weather: 15°C, clear. Today's high is 19°C, the low is 14°C, and the chance of rain is 0%. You will need an outer layer for a night walk.
- Crowding: 켄싱턴호텔 설악 (Kensington Hotel Seorak), 금호리조트 설악 (Kumho Resort Seorak), Deungdae Beach (등대해변), Expo Tower (엑스포타워), Sinheungsa Temple (신흥사), and Yeongnangho Lake were all recorded as 'very crowded'. Expo Tower is right next to the lawn plaza where the opening ceremony was held.
- Traffic: Misiryeong-ro (미시령로), Donghae-daero (동해대로), and Seoraksan-ro (설악산로) are all estimated to be flowing smoothly. However, tomorrow morning, vehicles heading for the autumn foliage at Seoraksan and vehicles arriving for the holiday may overlap.
- Sea: The water temperature is 22.4°C and the wave height is 0.6 m, so it is calm. The swimming beaches have already closed for the season and there are no lifeguards, so you should refrain from entering the water.
- Tomorrow's sunrise time: On the 3rd, sunrise is at 6:22 a.m. and sunset is at 6:06 p.m. If the clear weather continues, conditions are good for watching the sunrise on the first day of the holiday.
During the street parade hours of 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. tomorrow, the area around Rodeo Street may be crowded. If you will be getting around downtown by car, we recommend planning your schedule to avoid those hours.
Wrapping up
Sokcho Arirang is a song that has now been an intangible heritage for 2 years and 4 months. Today's Jeongseon stage was an occasion on which that sound went out beyond Sokcho, and the Citizen Award the same evening was an award going to the person who has held on to that sound for some 20 years. If you visit the Seorak Cultural Festival over the holiday, we hope you will also call to mind, just once, the fact that this city has an Arirang that sings of the sea and Seoraksan.
Today we looked at Sokcho Arirang's joint performance at the Jeongseon Arirang Festival and how to encounter this sound in Sokcho. Was it helpful?
We will be back next time with even more useful information.
