Yeosu City Closes ‘1st Yeosu International Webfest' with Great Success
Yeosu City announced on the 9th that the '1st Yeosu International Webfest', which was held from the 4th to the 7th at the Yeulmaru GS Caltex area in Woongcheon, successfully concluded. The Webfest, featuring 1,306 works from 76 countries across North America, Europe, and Asia, culminated in an awards ceremony on the 6th, where 53 awards were given in 3 categories, after intense competition. Yeosu City's self-produced web drama ‘Hamel’ received a special award. Other top honors included Korea's ‘Daedaejangson’ in the web content category, Korea's ‘Penguin's City’ in the short-form category, and Spain's ‘Howl’ in the music video category. Before the awards ceremony, Yeosu City signed MOUs with renowned webfest committees, including the World Webfest(U.S.), British Web Awards(U.K.), Rio Webfest Awards(Brazil), and Azyl(Slovakia). These agreements aim to strengthen overseas networks for future mutual cooperation. Annie Qing Han, a web content creator from the U.K., said, "I was amazed by the well-executed event held in a small city like Yeosu and especially by the beautiful scenery here. It was an honor to have my work nominated among so many submissions, and I will cherish the memories for a long time." Mayor Jung Ki-myeong said, "The trophies given to the awardees were designed to reflect Yeosu’s unique features, taking inspiration from the Hamel Lighthouse and the city’s symbolic seagulls. We will continue to strengthen our domestic and international presence in line with the media consumption trends across borders and do our best to establish Yeosu as a global marine tourism city." Meanwhile, the '1st Yeosu International Webfest', the first of its kind hosted by a local government in Korea, featured various events, including an opening ceremony, a forum on 'The Direction of Web Content Development and Utilization of Regional Content,' free screenings of web dramas, and vibrant K-POP performances. 강동현 기자 kang_donghyun@koreadaily.cominternational success citys self penguins city awards ceremony