Gimhae arts center to hold the 5th Queen Heo festival

A festival celebrating romance between King Kim Suro of Geumgwan Gaya and Queen Heo of ancient India will be held at the end of this month. The Gimhae Arts and Sports Center announced Tuesday that it would hold the 5th Queen Heo’s Honeymoon Trip Festival in Haebancheon and Street of Gaya from July 27 to 29.

Queen Heo, who reportedly moved to Gaya from Ayodhya, India in 48 A.D., became the first queen of Gaya by marrying King Kim Suro. “The state of Uttar Pradesh has Ayodhya, the hometown of Queen Heo Hwang-ok who married Kim Suro 2,000 years ago,” said South Korean President Moon Jae-in in his state visit to India on Monday. Queen Heo became a hot topic as Moon mentioned her as a person who symbolizes a long relationship between Korea and India.

The festival consists of a parade describing the first encounter of King Kim Suro and Queen Heo, sujeon game - a modern version of Gimhae’s traditional game seokjeon, an Indian movie festival and more. The parade, which is the highlight of the festival, will be held on a stage in Haebancheon on July 28.

Team enrollment for the contest will be available until Friday, and adults and teenagers are divided into different teams.


Won-Mo Yu onemore@donga.com