Hi Seoul Festival The Hi Seoul Festival, a grand party for everyone, including foreign tourists. Global street festival in which everyone can participate and enjoy Seoul Foundation for Arts & Culture president Yoo In-chon who has been devoting all the Foundation's energy into enduring the Festival's success The delightful festival of Seoulites, 'Hi Seoul Festival 2006,' will be heating up the streets of Seoul in May, the queen of the seasons. It will again turn the entire city into a scene of wild excitement from Friday, May 5 to Sunday, May 7, starting on the evening of Thursday, May 4. Held under the theme of 'Seoulites in Seoul', this year's 4th Hi Seoul Festival promises to be a comprehensive cultural festival, representing the diversity of Seoul's history, traditions, and future vision. Seoul Foundation for Arts & Culture president Yoo In-chon who has been devoting all the Foundation's energy into enduring the Festival's success, proudly said: 'The Hi Seoul Festival arouses the sighs of administration, 'Wonderful!' from foreign reporters through the three festivals to last year' , adding that this year, it will expand citizens' participations and become a grand party for everyone, including foreign tourists visiting Seoul. Actually, foreign tourists visiting Seoul during the Hi Seoul Festival period have been showing an increase trend, with 35,000 people in 2003, 71,000 people in 2004, and 83,000 people in 2005 plus an income of 13.8 billion won (around $14.5 million), according to the statistics of the Seoul Foundation for Arts & Culture. Yoo said he is confident that the fever of the Hi Seoul Festival will present an opportunity to forward the wishes of all Korean people for a great performance from the Korean national soccer team at the World Cup 2006 in Germany. Successful example never seen before in other countries Concerning characteristics of the Festival, president Yoo emphasizes it is above all a comprehensive cultural festival embracing a variety of citizen interests. This huge city of Seoul is entering a very important period in that it has become a center of globalization, he said, referring to the fact that in this sense, the 'Hi Seoul Festival' was designed as a comprehensive cultural festival embracing all ages, occupations, ranks, and backgrounds, through a balanced program of cultural events accommodating a number of interests. In particular, the president underlines this year's accentuation point at the 'Hi Seoul Festival' is to introduce citizens' participation much, explaining that it is a street festival where citizens can directly participate in and enjoy. He notes it is expected that the main events held at Seoul Plaza and at Cheonggyecheon, and the concurrent events held all over Seoul, will allow citizens to easily participate in the festival, and to engage in the identity of the Hi Seoul Festival as a street festival for everyone. The Hi Seoul Festival is very significant in that it has grown into an international street festival representing Seoul by integrating several festivals scattered throughout Seoul. There are not any such success examples like the Hi Seoul Festival in other big cities of another country globally, the president points out, stressing that the Hi Seoul Festival preparation team has done its best so that this year's festival can be designed to enhance the image of Amazing Seoul to which the eyes of the world will be drawn. Good feedback The two representative events of this year's 'Hi Seoul Festival'-the Citizens' Walking Festival and the Castle Walk-are the very events that connect the participation of citizens to the festival, according to Yoo. Through the Castle Walk, citizens will walk along the traces of the ancient fortress of the city, eventually joining the Citizens' Walking Festival, which will have begun in Salgoji Park and traveled along the stream of Cheonggyecheon, to arrive at Seoul Plaza. Moreover, Yoo is confident the Hi Seoul Festival will promise to be a traditional festival to emphasize the history, tradition, diversity, and uniqueness of the city once again like the past four years, providing a number of programs for citizens and guests to feel the charm of Seoul, a city where the past collides with the future. Paying attention to the fact that tourist flow patterns are shifting from sightseeing of nature and scenery to the participation in a number of events, including participating in festivals, traditional events, watching exhibitions or sports games, the president remarks: 'The Hi Seoul Festival surpasses the concept of a mere festival and will establish itself clearly in the international cultural market as a product suitable for the international community.' Actually, the Hi Seoul Festival began to become a benchmarking object from a raft of foreign international festival organizing committees such as Ireland and Edinburgh and in this context, Seoul Foundation for Arts & Culture is moving organically to expand overseas publicity activity in concert with MCT (the Ministry of Culture & Tourism) as well as KNTO (Korean National Tourism Office) and so forth, he said. In the light of the feedback about the Hi Seoul Festival, the positive appears to be outweighing the negative thanks to the fact that it is the Festival of the People of the world. This unique traditional festival which brings history alive is a festival created by the hands of citizens. Everywhere in the city is part of the festival to attract more foreign tourists and all the time promote a healthy environment.