Gateway Korean Foundation’s 7th Annual Chuseok Festival: Celebrating the Korean Harvest Festival Virtually

Immediate Press Release

Due to COVID-19, Gateway Korea Foundation’s Annual Chuseok Festival is going virtual this year with a 3-day series on YouTube Premiere from September 17th through the 19th! The online event is sponsored by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea located in Chicago, IL.

“Chuseok”, which means “the great middle (of autumn)”, is a major harvest festival in Korea and is a celebration of the harvest season. Traditionally, it is celebrated over a three-day period with families visiting ancestral hometowns and partaking in singing, dancing, games, and traditional meals. Because of the ongoing health concerns with large public gatherings, GKF has moved this year’s Chuseok event from in-person to online so that members of our community may celebrate safely from the comfort of their homes.

This fun and educational series exploring and celebrating Korean culture will entertain people of all ages and backgrounds, and includes the following events:

Day 1: Thursday, September 17th (7 PM CDT) Music Performance by the Eine Ensemble

With the theme of “memory, hometown, and autumn,” the Eine Ensemble will play popular folk songs from Korea and around the world. Various Korean and American/Western folk songs and traditional music will be performed by the Eine Ensemble, including "Home on the Range," "When You and I Were Young, Maggie," "Arirang," "An Island Baby," "Home in the Spring," "Ave Maria," "Sicilienne," "Danny Boy," and other beautiful pieces in a harmonious manner.

Day 2: Friday, September 18th (7 PM CDT) Crafts, Games, Folk Songs & Folk Tales

To reflect the spirit of Chuseok, which promotes “togetherness of the family,” Day 2 is designated for making crafts, playing games, singing folk songs, and telling folk tales. Various video montages will be prepared by several families from the St. Louis metropolitan community.

Day 3: Saturday, September 19th (7 PM CDT) Korean Martial Arts, K-Pop & Samulnori

The final day of the program will feature a Korean martial arts demonstration by Y.S. Rho Martial Arts from Chesterfield, MO, a K-pop performance by the group K:ODE, and traditional Korean folk music known as Samulnori.

For more information about this year’s Chuseok program, please visit https://www.gateway-korea.org/chuseok" or check us out on our Facebook page or Instagram @gkf_stl. We hope you can join us in this celebration!

We stand together with you. Black Lives Matter.

The Gateway Korea Foundation stands in unity with the Black Lives Matter movement as we mourn the loss of George Floyd who, like too many others, have unjustly lost their lives at the hands of injustice in this nation. 

 The Gateway Korea Foundation has been, and remains, committed to our founding mission of creating bridges that cross cultural and racial divides. Our hope is that together, we can build stronger and better communities that represent, protect and celebrate all voices.  It is our sincerest hope that this dark moment becomes a catalyst for positive change and the cultivation of important conversations that are long overdue. We look forward to taking part in these conversations with our community and continuing our own education about racial injustice.

 As an organization that has always strongly believed in the power of the arts to foster positive cross-cultural communication, we stand committed to providing a place in the heartland community that extends open arms, support, and acceptance to everyone in our collective community. We stand together with you. Black Lives Matter.

A Message from GKF Chairperson

Dear GKF Friends,

We hope that you stay safe, practice social distancing, and maintain physical and mental well-being while we are experiencing the unprecedented impact of this COVID-19 pandemic on our individual daily lives and on the country as a whole.  

GKF will continue to monitor the situation around the region and will assess and update our 2020 program plans, including our Dano event in June.  Dano has been scheduled for June 19 and 20.  We are ready to proceed with those plans if we can, or postpone the event if we must.  We will send you notice of our updated plans by email and also post that information on our website and social media, as soon as they are confirmed.

With many uncertainties and unknowns, it is easy to become overwhelmed. But, we can learn something from Korean culture, resiliency and collaboration, which have been strongly revealed throughout Korean history, in times such as the Korean War, Japanese Colonial Period, and even now during this current Coronavirus Pandemic in Korea.

While our personal circumstances may differ, we share one thing in common: an enduring love for Korean Art and Culture. This will connect us today and in the foreseeable future, and we will make sure GKF will diligently deliver online content through our website and social media platforms.

Thank you for your patience and understandings during this time.  Please follow our Gateway Korea Foundation media channels and join to become a member today.

Seungkwon You, PhD

Chair, Board of Directors

Gateway Korea Foundation