[box_dark]Passion and Noblesse Oblige[/box_dark]

Gangnam Festival focuses on what makes Seoul’s poshest district so great

걸스데이

Gangnam-gu will host its four-day Gangnam Festival from Oct 3 to Oct 6 in the COEX area of
Samseong-dong. The district’s leading festival, it links together three of Gangnam’s most popular events: the Gangnam Fashion Festival, the International Peace Marathon and the Hallyu Festival, an autumn K-pop concert Under the theme of “passion” and the slogan “Play the City,” this year’s festival will demonstrate Gangnam’s style and its spirit of noblesse oblige through fashion and donations.

11th International Peace Marathon (Oct 3)
Starting at 8am on Oct 3 in front of the KEPCO office on Yeongdongdae-ro, the International Peace Marathon offers full-course, half-course, 10 km, and 5 km runs. Participants can enjoy the beautiful ecological waterways of Gangnam like the Yangjaecheon and Tancheon Streams and the Hangang River, and even non-runners can enjoy the event as a nice day out with the family.
Participating in the event are Gangnam-gu’s promotional ambassadors, Christina Confalonieri and Robert Holley. You’ll also be able to enjoy a street percussion performance, performances by invitational singers, and a tasting where you can enjoy dishes prepared by nine famous chefs for just KRW 3,000.
Participants will get “K-Bird” t-shirts designed by famous local designers. A stylized bird, the K-Bird is the new symbol of Gangnam that will be unveiled to the world during the marathon.
Marathon participation fees will be donated to UNICEF and the Community Chest of Korea.

FYI>www.peacemarathon.co.kr, T. 02-3423-5956
GO>COEX can be reached by Samseong Station 삼성역 (Line 2).

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7th Gangnam Fashion Festival (Oct 3–5)
The garden party-esque opening ceremony of this year’s Gangnam Fashion Festival is on Oct 3 at 6pm in COEX’s G-20 Square. In the festival you’ll see both everyday fashions and luxury fashions by designers from around the world, and even a “citizen model” fashion show and international fashion show.
The first day will feature the opening ceremony and a show with designs by Korea’s new designers. The second day features a much-anticipated “trend” fashion show led  by popular designer Choe Cheol-yong. In addition to the latest fashions, we’ll be able to see other trends as well.
On the last day is the international fashion show and “citizen model” fashion show. The international fashion show will feature clothing from all over the world. The “citizen model” one will show off fall fashions appropriate for everyday life. The show will end with a giant swing dance party hosted by the Ddanddara Dance Hall, Korea’s largest swing dance association.
The Gangnam Fashion Festival will be accompanied by a variety of street performances as well as a fashion market where you can purchase unique looks by local designers. Some 3% of the proceeds from the fashion market will be donated to charity. There will also be booths set up with drinks, including samples of wine from Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture and pop-up shops.

GO>COEX can be reached by Samseong Station 삼성역 (Line2).

강남 패션 페스티벌-이상봉디자이너2

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Hallyu Festival (K-pop Concert) (Oct 5)
The finale of the festival comes at 7pm on Oct 6 with the Hallyu Festival, the name taken from the Korean term for the so-called Korean Wave. With traffic stopped on the eight-lane road in front of the KEPCO building, the Hallyu Festival is a K-pop concert featuring performances by some of Korea’s top stars. The performance is made all the more special by the fact that they’ll be performing for free as a “talent donation.” This year’s headliners include INFINITE, SHINee, EXO, and Girl’s Day.

FYI>www.fashionfestival.or.kr

인피니트

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Gangnam Grand Sale (Oct 1-31)
For the month of October—including, of course, the period of the Gangnam Festival—restaurants, major department stores, cultural spaces, museums, and other businesses will be offering major discounts, allowing visitors to enjoy the city’s charms in a wallet-friendly manner.
To make use of the sales, get one of the specially made coupon books from the Gangnam Tourist Information Center, local resident centers, or the Gangnam-gu homepage.

FYI>T. 02-3788-0872