The 51st Annual LA Korean Festival, the largest festival in the Korean-American community, kicked off on the 26th with a grand opening ceremony at Seoul International Park in LA's Koreatown. Featuring the largest-ever Korean Agricultural and Fisheries Expo booths, the festival showcases a total of 291 marketplace booths. The event, themed "Diversity in the Festival," will continue for four days until the 29th, offering a variety of performances and events.

At 6 PM, a grand opening ceremony took place on the festival’s main stage, hosted by Jerome and Benita, the "legendary couple" from Dolsing Four (Divorced Singles 4). Attendees included Alex Cha, chairman of the LA Korean Festival Foundation, its board members, and various officials; Heather Hutt, LA City Councilmember for District 10, which includes Koreatown; Robert Luna, Los Angeles County Sheriff; Consul General Young Wan Kim; James Ahn, president of the LA Korean Association; Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu Metropolitan City; Ki-moon Kim, chairman of the Korean Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises; Chang-hwan Park, Deputy Governor of South Jeolla Province; and Geum-hee Yang, Deputy Governor of North Gyeongsang Province, among other Korean and mainstream leaders and heads of Korean organizations.

The celebratory opening performances included a wide array of traditional Korean folk music and dance, as well as performances from Bangladesh, Mexico, hula dances, classical music, and pop concerts. Throughout the festival, there will be daily raffles with prizes, including round-trip tickets to Korea. Shuttle buses will also operate daily for the convenience of visitors.

The marketplace booths opened to visitors even before the opening ceremony. Of particular note is the Agricultural and Fisheries Expo, which is the festival’s highlight and has been prepared on a larger scale than ever before. A total of 169 businesses from regions such as North and South Gyeongsang, North and South Jeolla, North and South Chungcheong, Jeju Island, Gangwon Province, Daegu Metropolitan City, and Dobong District have set up booths. Visitors can also enjoy a variety of K-food, such as BBQ, grilled corn, shaved ice, ice cream, and beer, throughout the four-day event.

Ashley Kim (50), who visited Seoul International Park on the festival’s first day, said, “The Korean Festival always has such a lively atmosphere, which I love. There seems to be even more variety in Korean foods and products compared to last year, which brings back fond memories,” giving a thumbs up. Jack Anderson (43), visiting for the first time with his Korean friend, said, “I’m amazed at the scale of the festival—it’s much larger than I expected. The variety of food, performances, and interactive events made for a fantastic experience, and I plan to come back tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, the festival’s highlight, the 51st Korean Parade, will take place at 3 PM on Saturday, the 28th, and will light up Olympic Boulevard, the heart of Koreatown, with a vibrant spectacle.

— Reporter Hyung-seok Han

<Hyungseok Han>