In an effort to advertise Sinchon Yonsei-ro as a multicultural activity avenue, Seodaemun-gu and Korea Tourism Organization held “2016 Sinchon Global Festa” on Oct. 29 along Sinchon Yonsei-ro.
2016 Sinchon Global Festa included a fashion show exhibiting traditional clothes from various countries, musical performances by Yonsei university students, a world flea market and a flower market, and also a performance by Ewha Korean Music Orchestra.
Among the various activities at the festival, the world flower market attracted most people. Flowers including Protea, Rainbow Campanellas, and several more were imported from their native countries such as South Africa, Equador, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Chile, and Italy for the flower show. People were able to buy flowers on display for prices ranging from 5,000 to 8,000 won.
“I thought the flowers on display were beautiful and wonderful,” said Kim Su-young, a sophomore majoring in English Literature who visited the festival with her boyfriend Gil Min-sung. “I am curious as to how they chose the concept of displaying and selling flowers from around the world. The flower at the front (Rainbow Rose) was especially stunning.”
Along with the multicultural events, Global Festa also included a fashion show at 6 p.m., with most models wearing thin clothing in the cold winter night. Twenty models from each continent wore their traditional clothes and danced to their traditional music on the catwalk.
“The models who walked on the catwalk were exchange students from countries all around the world, such as Azerbaijan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Republic of Cameroon,” said Moon Seok-jun, the mayor of Seodeamun-gu. “I hope this Global Festa makes Sinchon the hub where Korea and other countries can enjoy cultural interactions.”
To conclude the fashion show, 10 Oman models walked the runway to celebrate 42 years of diplomatic ties with Korea. With costumes sponsored by the Oman Embassy, models were covered in colorful clothing with gold embroidery and traditional patterns. Moreover, the dresses and the Arabic music were enough to make the audience, unaccustomed in Middle East culture, gaze in awe.
“To be honest, I did not know much about Oman because I was not familiar with Middle Eastern countries,” said Choi Yu-ri, a  freshman majoring in Sociology. “But through this experience, I learned that a Muslim attire is not only limited to black hijab and burqua, but also wonderfully designed clothes. I wish I had a chance to wear them myself.”
Since Yonsei-ro, the 550m segment from Sinchon station to the main gate of Yonsei University, was designated as a bus-only road in January 2014, Seodaemun-gu has been holding special cultural events every weekend, including the Sinchon Global Festa.

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