The Culture and Welfare Committee of the Andong City Council (Chairperson Kim Chang-hyun), on the 23rd, one day prior to the opening of the 2026 Andong International Maskdance Festival, visited the festival site to conduct an on-site inspection.

Members of the Culture and Welfare Committee visited the festival grounds set up around the former Jungangline 1942 Andong Station area to review overall festival operations, including the setup of the venue, safety management measures, and convenience facilities for visitors.

On this day, the council members received reports from relevant departments on the festival preparation status, major programs, and venue operation plans, and then directly toured major performance venues and event facilities. In particular, they intensively inspected visitor movement paths, safety facilities, convenience facilities, and guidance systems.

As a large number of citizens and tourists are expected to flock to the venue during the festival period, the committee urged the authorities to put special effort into safety accident prevention and crowd management. They also requested meticulous management of traffic and parking measures, as well as movement and guidance systems within the venue, to minimize inconvenience for visitors.

Furthermore, the committee requested strengthening the connection between the festival venue and downtown areas to ensure that the festival's enthusiasm leads to regional economic vitalization, as well as active promotion and operation of linked programs so that tourists visiting the festival can enjoy Andong’s diverse cultural and tourism resources together.

Kim Chang-hyun, Chairperson of the Culture and Welfare Committee, stated, "As the Andong International Maskdance Festival is Andong's representative festival where citizens and tourists harmonize together, safety is of the utmost importance above all else. Please meticulously review the preparation status once more before the opening so that those visiting the festival can enjoy it without inconvenience and return with great memories."

Meanwhile, the 2026 Andong International Maskdance Festival, themed “Memories of Masks, Everyone’s Dance,” will be held from September 24 to October 4 across the former Jungangline 1942 Andong Station, Maskdance Park, downtown area, and Hahoe Village.

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