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[서울=NSP통신] 도남선 기자 = The 2013 Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival will be lit up from October 1st to the 13th in Jinju Fortress and Namgang River.

With the slogan"Water, Fire, Light and Hope", this year's festival will amaze its visitors with as much as 1,660 lanterns.

Let's check out what is now Jinju's hope and pride: The Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival.

It is widely known that yudeung were used as military signals and communication methods during the 1st Battle of Jinju in Imjin War. There's also a rumor that yudeung were lit to commemorate the sacrifice of a famous gisaeng, or known as geisha in the West, named Non-gae.

In 1592, over 20,000 Japanese troops invaded the Jinju Fortress. The peaceful fortress was soon besieged and found itself in chaos. Amidst the bloodbath, the Korean troops used gunpowder and torches in yudeung to halt the invasion. Yudeung were also used to signal attacks from in and out of the fortress.

The soldiers floated the yudeung down the river to send messages to those worried loved ones. After 6 days of fierce battle, the Japanese surrendered. By using them as military signals and means of communication to stop the enemies, yudeung were a definite driving force behind the victory of the Battle of Jinju.

The 400 year history of yudeung is deeply related to the Gaecheon Art Festival. The yudeung tradition first started out as part of the Art Festival, but ever since its inaugural event in 2001, both festivities have flourished together hand in hand.

It began as the Jinju Namgang International Yudeung Festival in 2000. Since then, it has won numerous awards including the top festival of the year from 2006 to 2010. It has now been selected as an exemplary festival of Korea for the past three years.

There's no doubt that the award-sweeping Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival is one of the best festivals in Korea. It has won 3 gold and a bronze in the 2011 IFEA Pinnacle Awards, as well as winning 2 categories in 2013. With such achievements, Jinju has become the first city in Korea to export cultural products.

The festival now has emerged as a world renowned event along with the Winterlude Festival of Ottawa and the Winter Festival of Lights in Niagara Falls.

Luminating Korea and the World: The Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival!

It is now up to us to continue our tradition and promote our culture.

From NSP News, Donovan Yoon.

도남선 NSP통신 기자, aegookja@nspna.com
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