The Jeongseon Arirang Culture Foundation, a non-profit culture and arts organization located in Bongyang-ri, Jeongseon-eup, Jeongseon-gun (or Jeongseon County), Gangwon Province, is a public institution wholly financed by Jeongseon County. The foundation was established in September 2008 with the vision of it developing into an independent professional public organization geared toward the promotion and development of the folk song Jeongseon Arirang; of providing administrative and financial assistance and facility and program aides regarding this task; and of ultimately achieving local cultural development, community integration, and regional economic vitalization through this meaningful effort.
As its top legislative body, the foundation features a board of directors comprised of 14 experts in Jeongseon Arirang. To enhance the professionalism of the organization, it also maintains a separate consultative body composed of scholars specializing in academic areas related to Jeongseon Arirang. Headed by a chief director, a total of ten specialists staff the three teams—Management Planning, Cultural Projects, and Research & Development—and the office of the Jeongseon Arirang Festival, which together are tasked with the practical business of the foundation.
First of all, in terms of the preservation and transmission of Jeongseon Arirang, the Jeongseon Arirang Culture Foundation engages in efforts such as the establishment of necessary facilities, management assistance, the cultivation of groups and personnel to sustain and pass along Jeongseon Arirang, the vitalization of transmission education and the establishment of systemic education related to the folk song, as well as assistance for documentation, inquiry and research to safeguard Jeongseon Arirang’s original format.
Second, in order to further distribute and circulate Jeongseon Arirang, the foundation is involved in businesses such as the establishment of necessary facilities, management assistance, assistance for Jeongseon Arirang performances and for the development of creative programs, and the expansion of diverse cultural platforms through which people may access Jeongseon Arirang, as well as assistance for the vitalization of Jeongseon Arirang-related festivals and the creation of a cultural space and environment for the folk song.
Third, regarding the consumption and utilization of Jeongseon Arirang, the foundation, among other factors, provides assistance for Jeongseon Arirang to be incorporated into the greater culture industry and to provide commercial value to the culture and tourism fields, along with support for Jeongseon Arirang-related festivals and cultural events and the establishment of cultural landscape and aesthetic scenery related to Jeongseon Arirang.
Lastly, with regards to assisting policies and strategies for the globalization of Jeongseon Arirang, the organization engages in efforts such as providing assistance for the registration of Jeongseon Arirang as an important national intangible cultural property, adoption of and cooperation with UNESCO’s safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage and assistance for hosting international seminars on the protection of intangible cultural heritage and for hands-on experience programs for foreigners, as well as assistance for overseas documentation, inquiry and research on Arirang and invited overseas performances.
Follow ICCN