As Autumn officially begins in September, South Korea is filled with festivals, events, and celebration schedules that bring festivity, joy, and unity across the country.

On 30 August 2025, diverse foreign nationals set foot in Anseong city as global supporters for the Anseong Namsadang Baudeogi Festival, which takes place from October 9-12, 2025, on the Anseongmatchum Land & Anseongcheon stream, in the Gyeonggi Province, featuring dynamic performances like tightrope walking, traditional folk stages, reenacted ceremonies, and colorful parade scenes.

The festival started in 2001, later gaining recognition as an official festival by the International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts (CIOFF®), a UNESCO partner, in 2006. Then, in 2009, it was listed and designated as one of Korea’s Important Intangible Cultural Properties and a UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage of humanity.

Organized by Funday Korea Networks, a social enterprise that runs a variety of cultural programs, global supporters enjoyed a memorable day of activities. The event began with a grape-picking experience at vineyards planted over 120 years ago by French settlers, followed by a macaron-making workshop.

The afternoon featured a captivating traditional Korean circus performance, which mesmerized the audience, and a special East Asia Performance that brought together artists from Korea, Japan, and China in a dream-like musical collaboration.

Here are some images of this festival:

An important highlight of the event was the Global Supporters Appointment Ceremony. 

Mayor Kim Bo-ra, Anseong City’s first-ever female mayor, who has been serving the public since April 2020, encouraged participants to promote the festival and explore the area’s historical sites.

Digital Creator Chiesa Lise-Sophie, originally from France, has been living in Seoul, South Korea, for the past nine years.

Her journey to Korea began with a working holiday visa, which opened the door to new experiences and opportunities. She studied Korean at a university in Seoul and eventually decided to continue her education, graduating in Visual Design. She participated in a cultural program in Anseong as a global supporter, where she had the chance to explore some of the region’s unique traditions and flavors.

“It was really nice to start with grape-picking. After that, we made macarons filled with grapes. As a French person, that was particularly special for me—macarons with a local twist!”

Her interest deepened when she learned that French people played a role in establishing vineyards in Korea over a century ago.

“I was curious and proud, but also a little sorry that they came here to introduce new things and a new culture. It’s fascinating to think that over 100 years ago, French people came to this very rural part of Korea to start this business,” she told Pressenza Press. 

Having over 12k social media followers, Lily participates in local events once or twice a month, frequently traveling to different parts of Korea to discover new cultures and share them with her audience. “It’s really interesting to discover local culture and new horizons. You can expand your knowledge and perspective while connecting with both locals and foreigners.” She added.

Indonesian Tri Sejati, for the past three years, has been living and working in South Korea.

Beyond his professional work, he actively engages with programs organized by the local government, which have provided him with incredible opportunities to learn, grow, and connect with the community. He also served as the leader of the Indonesian representatives in Hwaseong city. His role involved helping connect Indonesians living in the city with local government programs such as Korean language education, computer training, taekwondo, cooking and baking classes, barista training, and many more initiatives designed for integration and personal development.

He enjoys meeting new people and sharing cultural experiences, which was his motivation for joining the program organized by Funday Korea Network.

“This was my second visit to Anseong. I had previously been there to meet my younger sibling, but this time felt completely different. First, I felt nervous and shy, as many participants were talented and well-known. Over time, though, I grew comfortable and happy because of how welcoming and kind both the organizers and participants were.”

He told Pressenza Press that he also noticed cultural similarities between Korea and Indonesia. “For example, the Deolmi performance reminded me of the Indonesian Wayang Golek puppet show, which made me feel even closer to Korean culture. I am truly grateful for this opportunity. This experience was not only fun and educational but also deeply meaningful to me. It reminded me how beautiful cultural exchange can be and made me proud to have experienced Korean culture so closely.”

It’s said that Anseong is the birthplace and hub of namsadang nori, the six performances of an all-male troupe of traveling entertainers who perform acrobatics, singing, dancing, and circus-like acts, but women also came to be members after the female performer and leader Baudeogi joined. Her real name was Kim Am-deok, hailing from the Joseon Dynasty era, 1392-1910, in Korea. 

Photos by: Bereket Alemayehu