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| ▲This photo shows critic Im Jin-mo, CEO Kim Eun-soo, and director Kim Tae-han (L-R) at the press conference . (Yonhap) |
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| ▲This photo shows CEO Kim Eun-soo speaking at the press conference . (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Yonhap) -- The United State's legendary rock festival,"Woodstock Festival," also known as the root of the music fair, will take place in Korea this summer.
Performance agency SGC Entertainment held a press conference on Friday at Korean Press Center in Jung-gu and announced that they will hold "Woodstock Music and Art Fair 2023" for 3 days, July 28 to 30, under the theme of "Freedom, Peace, and Love" to celebrate Korea's 70th anniversary of ceasefire.
First held in 1969 at Bethel, New York, "Woodstock Festival" is considered to have shown the peak of 1960's Rock culture when stars of that time like Jimi Hendrix and Jani Joplin participated in it.
At the festival that took place on Aug 15 to 17 of that same year, over 400,000 paid visits and shouted for Freedom, Pacifism, and diversity.
After that, the fair was held in 1994, 1999, and 2009 to celebrate its 25th, 30th, and 40th anniversary, respectively.
Popular music critic Im Jin-mo, who participated the press conference, said, "1960s was the peak of popular music with The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Aretha Franklin," and explained the significance of the festival, saying, "Other then artists, if I had to choose Intellectual Property (IP) which can represent that time, it would be Woodstock,"
Korea is the first country other than U.S to sign a contract for the publication rights of the festival and to take place abroad.
Critic Im said, "Woodstock is the symbol of performance beyond just a festival," adding, "There is a historical meaning for the festival to be held in Korea."
In 2010, an attempt was made to open "Woodstock Festival" in Korea, but it was miscarried due to the problems regarding the publication right of using the festival's name and the casting of the singers.
Kim Eun-soo, CEO of SGC Ent., said, "You can happily enjoy that 'Woodstock' has returned in 13 years after going through the pain of cancellation."
SGC Ent. did not disclose the detailed line-up of the festival but revealed that they are currently signing contracts with about 30 teams.
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Jiwon Woo.)
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