Horizon Festival

[Anchor Lead]

More than half of Korean land is covered with mountains. Mountains can be seen where ever you look. But there is the only region where the horizon comes into view. That is Gimje in Jeollabuk-do Province. A horizon festival is now under way in the Gimje plains to celebrate the arrival of autumn, the season of the harvest.

[Pkg]

Golden fields stretch endlessly. Heavy rice grains that have ripened overcoming scorching summer heat and rains are a telltale sign of abundance in the fall. A festive feast was held in a village to celebrate a good harvest. But two giant dragons with smoke gushing from their mouths appear from nowhere to disturb the peace. This is a performance based on a legend about the Byeokgolje, the oldest reservoir in Korea. Old farming devices demonstrate the development of agriculture in the nation.

[Soundbite] Choi Jae-woo(Middle School Student) : "I learned that farming was conducted this way before machines were developed. I've realized that I live a tremendously convenient life in modern society."

Even adults seem to go back to their childhood while catching grasshoppers in rice fields and taking photos, building fresh, new memories.

[Soundbite] Im Jin-sook(Visitor) : "I feel as if I've gone back to the time when I was an 18-year-old girl. I really enjoyed catching grasshoppers and walking along the trail lined with cosmos flowers."

[Soundbite] Lee Gun-sik(Gimje Mayor) : "Farming produce is very abundant. Cosmos flower trails were created through the golden fields. This also is the only case across the nation."

The Gimje Horizon Festival, which has been designated as a representative festival by the government for five straight years, features 55 programs and runs until this Sunday.