Gyeonggi Province Crosses the Line of Division Toward Peace... 'DMZ OPEN Festival' Opens on the 12th
Encounter the DMZ Through Art, Music, and Forums
Held in Paju and Goyang Until November 29
Sumi Jo to Close the International Music Festival
Domestic and International Experts Discuss Peaceful Coexistence
Gyeonggi Province will host the '2026 DMZ OPEN Festival' from October 12 to November 29 at Imjingak Pyeonghwa Nuri in Paju and various sites in Goyang. The event highlights the ecological and peace-related value of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) through exhibitions, an international music festival, and the Eco Peace Forum.
This year’s theme is 'Open the Line, Connect the Life.' The theme conveys the intention to open the DMZ—a symbol of division and boundaries—so as to connect people to one another, bridge everyday life with the world, and create a new flow of peace.
The DMZ OPEN Exhibition will be held from October 12 to November 29, centered around Imjingak Pyeonghwa Nuri and nearby areas. The DMZ is reinterpreted not as a space of control and separation, but as a 'stage (STAGING)' where stories of memory, ecology, and coexistence unfold. Fourteen artists from Korea and abroad, including Kyu Chul Ahn, Sunmoo, Abigail Raphael Collins, Soo Yeon Yoon, and Chan-kyong Park, will participate.
The international music festival will take place four times from October 23 to 25 at the Aram Concert Hall in Goyang Aram Nuri. Under the theme 'PACE: Returning to Peace,' the festival will deliver a musical narrative with parts titled 'Pulse (The Beat of Beginning),' 'Awaken (Awakening Peace),' 'Connect (Connected Minds),' and 'Eternity (Enduring Peace).'
The KBS Symphony Orchestra, Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra, Mahlerian Orchestra, and Millennium Philharmonic Orchestra will all participate. Conductors such as Michael Sanderling, Ja-kyung Yeo, and Jin Sol, along with pianist Sehyuk Son and violinist Ji Young Lim, will take the stage. At the closing concert, soprano Sumi Jo will deliver a message of peace and harmony together with the Millennium Philharmonic Orchestra. Tickets can be booked on the Goyang Aram Nuri website and NOL Ticket.
On October 28, the Eco Peace Forum, themed 'Opening the Way to Peaceful Coexistence,' will be held at Sono Calm Goyang. Jointly organized by Gyeonggi Province, the Ministry of Unification, and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the forum is expected to bring together more than 350 participants, including domestic and international experts and local residents.
Valerie Gelezeau, Professor at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) in France, will deliver the keynote speech and participate in a discussion with heads of the co-hosting organizations. In the afternoon, separate peace sessions hosted by the Ministry of Unification and the foundation will take place. Gyeonggi Province will hold an ecology session titled 'Northeast Asia Smart Eco-City Seminar' to foster related discussions.
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Hyunseok Park, Director General for Peace and Cooperation at Gyeonggi Province, said, "We hope this will be an opportunity to experience the ecological and peace-related values of the DMZ in daily life through art, music, and international dialogue, and to help spread those values internationally."
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