Dongjak District held its 2026 Dongjak Residents’ Harmony Sports Festival on Saturday at Noryangjin Soccer Field, drawing about 5,000 participants for a day of team competition, games and performances.
The 63 Building on Yeouido stood on one side of the venue and Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market on the other.
Organized by the Dongjak District Sports Council, the event ran from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Athletes and cheering squads from the district’s 15 neighborhoods, along with residents, took part in neighborhood-versus-neighborhood contests, special events, side attractions and a celebratory concert.
The opening program featured Latin dance by members of the Dongjak Dance Sports Federation and a demonstration by a taekwondo team of local children and teenagers.
At the opening ceremony, lawmaker Na Kyung-won addressed the future of the field. “We were supposed to return this field at the end of this year, but fortunately it has been extended for two more years,” she said. “In two years, though, the area will be redeveloped and we will have to give it back.”
“Where to create a space for residents to exercise and gather then is a homework assignment for all of us,” she said, adding that she would work with the district mayor and district and city council members to secure an alternative site.
Dongjak District Mayor Ryu Sam-young cited the district’s slogan, “Brighten Dongjak, Excite Residents,” and outlined plans to improve street conditions. “We will light streetlamps in places that feel unsafe and install CCTV where needed,” he said, promising to reflect residents’ opinions through programs such as his “on-site” and “open” mayor initiatives. Pointing to the clear autumn sky, he said, “Looking at the nice weather today, it seems even the heavens are celebrating our Dongjak.”
The main competition began with a pipe relay exhibition featuring guests of honor. Neighborhood teams then competed in four events: pipe relay, bolo ball, group jump rope and relay racing. Most emphasized cooperation and harmony. Other events open to the general public included shoe-tossing and water bottle-standing games.
Jang Ji-hyun, who watched the pipe relay, said that “what matters is not speed but working together carefully without mistakes.” “I want to try incorporating this into next year’s K-Festival, which I’m involved in,” Jang said.
Some foreign visitors were also in the stands. A language-study student from Germany, her mother and her mother’s friend watched alongside Noryangjin 1-dong residents. The student is staying with a host family in the neighborhood, and the host brought them to the event, saying she wanted to show them a local Korean event. The group had stopped by the nearby fish market before arriving.
They said they were enjoying the atmosphere of a Korean community festival. “We have similar sports days in Germany, but in Korea there are also dances by cheerleaders made up of residents from each neighborhood, and it seems more spectacular,” they said.
Attractions continued outside the field. The game zone offered VR racing, rhythm games and a “Wii Olympics” on Nintendo Wii, while the play zone featured taekwondo experiences, giant bowling and basketball games. A photo zone was also set up for commemorative pictures.
Near the end of the event, Dongjak-born singers Yoon Se-yeon and Dugak, along with participants in the “Dongjak Star Singing Contest,” performed on stage. An awards ceremony and closing ceremony concluded the festival.
The event was run as an eco-friendly festival, with disposable items kept to a minimum and reusable containers used more widely.
