Mayor Lee Sang-il: "A Youth Stage Even AI Can't Imitate"... 24-Day University Theater Festival Concludes

Yongin City Concludes the 24-Day Journey of the 3rd Korea University Theater Festival
Incheon National University, Dong-Ah Institute of Media and Arts, Kyung Hee University, Kyungsung University, and Chung-Ang University Win 'Best 5'
All Final Performances Sold Out; Average Seat Occupancy Reaches 89.2%
Mayor Lee: "Stages Filled with Passion, Imagination, and Creativity... Truly Inspiring"

The 24-day stage, where university student actors from across the country performed in Yongin, has come to a close.

Lee Sangil, Mayor of Yongin Special City, is declaring the closing of the "3rd Republic of Korea University Theater Festival" on the 2nd at the Great Eoul Madang of Yongin City Lifelong Learning Center. Provided by Yongin City

Yongin Special City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Sang-il), held the closing ceremony of the '3rd Korea University Theater Festival,' the country’s only residency-based university student theater festival, on the 2nd at the Great Harmony Hall of the Yongin Lifelong Learning Center. Around 400 guests attended, including Mayor Lee Sang-il, university students who made it to the finals, members of the theater community, and local citizens.

Mayor Lee remarked, "During more than 20 days, the performances you created on stage demonstrated your passion for acting, imagination, and creativity; each stage was a universe of its own. You gave great inspiration to theater-loving citizens with performances that artificial intelligence (AI) could never imitate."

He continued, "Although it is sad to part ways now, the university theater festival will continue next year and the year after. I hope you will return to Yongin each year during your time as students. The city of Yongin will continue to support you so that you can further develop the theater you love."

This year, 49 teams from all over the country applied to participate in the festival. After a screening process, 14 teams advanced to the finals and performed at various venues throughout Yongin. All final performances sold out during the advance reservation stage, with an average seat occupancy rate of 89.2%. This was an increase of 4.2 percentage points from last year's 85%.

Lee Sangil, Mayor of Yongin Special City, is taking a commemorative photo with the winners of the 3rd Korea University Theater Festival on the 2nd at the large gathering hall of the Yongin Lifelong Learning Center. Provided by Yongin City

At the closing ceremony, five teams—Kyung Hee University, Chung-Ang University, Dong-Ah Institute of Media and Arts, Incheon National University, and Kyungsung University—were selected as the 'Best 5' among the 14 universities that made it to the finals.

The Ensemble Award was given to Dongyang University in the stage acting category and Daejin University in the stage staff category. The Networking Award, which evaluates the results of participants' collaboration and exchange, went to the "Parlanggwi" team (Experimental Mind), the "Ilnaelbundul" team (Creative Mind), and the "GOsari Biksari" team (Collaborative Mind). The Special Prize, chosen directly by the participants themselves, went to Kim Kyunghoon from Kyungsung University and Jung Daeun from Chung-Ang University.

The closing ceremony began with a joint parade prepared by participants who had stayed together during the festival. A video was also screened showing their life at the Yongin Forest Education Center and backstage moments. Afterward, the indie band “Nasanghyeonssi Band” gave a congratulatory performance.

Finally, the festival came to an end as Mayor Lee and the flag bearers of the 14 universities that reached the finals declared the closing, bringing to a conclusion a 24-day theater festival that filled Yongin with youth and art.

Sangil Lee, mayor of Yongin Special City, is delivering an encouraging speech at the 3rd Korea University Theater Festival held at the Grand Hall of Yongin Lifelong Learning Center. Provided by Yongin City.

This year’s final performances included: ▲ Marat/Sade (Kyonggi University), ▲ Ikaino Bike (Kyungsung University), ▲ dOnut (Kyung Hee University), ▲ The Secret Garden (Dankook University), ▲ Amesha (Daejin University), ▲ ONCE ON THE ISLAND (Dongyang University), ▲ Green Place 2.0 (Dong-Ah Institute of Media and Arts), ▲ Barbie (Seokyeong University), ▲ Zero Point (Seoul Institute of the Arts), ▲ Seven Keys of Bold Fate (Sungkyul University), ▲ A Midsummer Night's Dream (Incheon National University), ▲ The Unification of Two Koreas (Chung-Ang University), ▲ The Pygmalions (Cheongwoon University), and ▲ On a Blue Day (Howon University)—a total of 14 works.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.