Tongyeong, a southeastern port city long known as the hometown of numerous artists, may soon rise to international prominence following its designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Music on Friday night.



Tongyeong is the first city in Korea, second in Asia after Japan’s Hamamatsu and 10th worldwide to join the Music category of the international organization’s Creative Cities Network.



Tongyeong has rich musical offerings, including its traditional mask dance Ogwangdae and the annual Tongyeong International Music Festival, a classical music festival that celebrates composer Yun I-sang, a native of the city, according to the Korean National Commission for UNESCO.



In recent years, the city has made efforts for international musical collaboration and promotion, said Florian Riem, CEO of the Tongyeong International Music Foundation who played a large role in drafting the UNESCO application. “We have hosted a number of joint projects with cities like Kanazawa, Japan and Adelaide, Australia,” which was also designated for the music category on Friday, he said.



Tongyeong, a small fishing town with a population of roughly 140,000, also boasts diverse music education programs, including inviting schoolchildren to the Tongyeong Concert Hall when prominent foreign orchestras are in town, and the Tongyeong Festival Orchestra, a multinational ensemble composed of musicians from Korea, China and Japan.



“The idea was to support efforts to create a better feeling in (the Asian) region,” said Reim. “What better way to do that than through music, the universal language? The orchestra played in all three countries this year, and we hope to repeat that in the future.”





A view of the seaside city of Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province (123rf)