Pohang to hold Marine Corps Culture Festival in two weeks

Pohang, a coastal city located in the southeast of North Gyeongsang Province, announced Wednesday that its annual Marine Corps Culture Festival will be held on April 27 and 28.

With the Republic of Korea Marine Corps Education & Training Group located in the coastal city, Pohang is the home of the ROK Marine Corps, where all Korean marines undergo training.

According to the city, the upcoming military festival is scheduled to be held at two separate venues -- the military base of the 1st Marine Division and the Seomun Intersection, widely known as "Marine Street," in Ocheon-eup, Pohang.

This year’s Marine Corps Culture Festival will begin with a combined military parade, featuring color guards and military bands of both the South Korean and US Marine Corps at 2 p.m. on April 27, followed by the festival's opening ceremony.

More programs and events, including the honor guards parade, martial arts performance, high-altitude free falls and a concert, featuring popular singer-songwriter Roy Kim, girl group H1-Key, trot singer Jiwoni, rock band No Brain and more, are planned to entertain spectators at the military base.

Festivalgoers can get a chance to experience special military equipment, and military uniforms and explore some of the areas in the 1st Marine Division, which will be partly opened to the public during the two-day festival period.

The military base will be opened from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on April 27 and 28, respectively.

Travelers can enjoy other aspects of Korean military culture at the Seomun Intersection, where they can try combat rations, camo cream face painting and making their own red name tag, a patented emblem of the Marines here.

The Marine Corps Culture Festival is open to visitors of all ages.