On Sunday May 12, at 4 p.m., the “Hangang Space-out Competition” was held at Jamsugyo Bridge. This competition was founded by the artist Woopsyang, and the purpose of this competition lies in the emergence of a group of people who enjoy spacing out in the busy city. According to her, various professions gather in one place to symbolize a small city. They describe the scene where this small city comes to a halt, creating a visual contrast with the busy people moving around the small city. In essence, the Hangang Space-out Competition can be seen as a participatory performance that raises the question to busy modern society where productivity is constantly emphasized “Is doing nothing indeed a waste of time?” This year marks the 10th anniversary of this competition, and the participating teams were selected through advance applications. A total of 80 teams, comprising of 117 participants, were chosen from a highly competitive pool with a ratio of 35 to 1. The Hangang Space-Out Competition has become a hot issue every year, because various celebrities attend each event. This year, participants included Tsuki from K-pop girl group Billlie, YouTuber Mimiminu, and short track speed skater Kwak Yoon-gy. Additionally, a diverse group of citizens ranging from elementary school students to people in their 60s, as well as professionals such as psychiatrists, firefighters, cleaners, veterinarians, DJs, and linguists, took part in the event. Participants in the competition must maintain a blank state, refraining from any actions or thoughts, for 90 minutes. During the competition, participants are not allowed to speak. Instead, they can use colored cards to indicate their needs and receive water, fanning, massage, or another specified service. Disqualifying actions include laughing or chatting, looking at a mobile phone, dosing off or falling asleep, and singing. Participants who commit these actions receive an exit card and are escorted out of the arena by a moderator dressed as the grim reaper. The winner of the competition is determined by a comprehensive evaluation that combines technical scores, based on heart rate graphs, and artistic scores, based on votes from citizens. In this competition, the first participant was eliminated after 35 minutes, and there were also participants who withdrew. Each participant approached the competition with different postures and methods. This year’s winner was Kwon So-a, a foreign language announcer. In her acceptance speech at the awards ceremony, she said, “I often space out, but I was worried I might not score well in the artistic aspect. When I saw that Kwak Yoon-gy was placed third, I thought he would have an advantage as an athlete, but I started to feel hopeful. Right now, my heart rate feels like it is at 150.” The woman who took second place said, “I am really shocked. I came up from Pohang and it was worth the price of the train ticket to come to Seoul. Thank you.” Kwak Yoon-gy expressed his regret by saying, “I actually aimed to win. I talked with my teammates afterward while looking at the graph. Due to the nature of our job, we either start or are on the final lap when the bell rings. Therefore, when the bell rang, my heart instinctively started racing. I tried to calm it down as much as possible, but it was not easy. I think I would have done better if there had been no bell.”

  At night, the “Silent Disco DJ Party” and the “Moonlight Rainbow Fountain Show” were held in front of the moonlight rainbow fountain to commemorate its 15th anniversary. Tsuki from K-pop girl group Billlie who previously participated in the Hangang Space-out Competition, and YouTuber Mimiminu also joined the party.  Tourist Sophia (Germany) said, “This is my first time traveling to Korea, and I am enjoying this fun festival so much. I am staying for about two more weeks, and I want to participate in this festival again next Sunday.” Jai (Australia) also expressed, “I am glad to be able to enjoy Seoul in this way.” He continued, “What is amazing to me is the scenery on the bridges. There are no cars, and some people are walking or running. There are also people resting under tents along the bridge.” Citizen A (Busan) said, “I came up from Busan, and I am happy to have a picnic with my family during the day and see the beautiful fountain in the evening.” He added, “I want to come again next time.” Citizen B (Seoul) remarked, “Both the staring contest and seeing people laugh a lot made me happy. Usually, when riding buses or subways, most people have expressionless faces, but here, there is vitality, and I felt like everyone is truly living their lives.” She added, “I hope there will be more festivals like this where we can take a break from our busy daily lives.” Moreover, Citizen C (Busan) expressed satisfaction with the festival, saying, “The weather was pleasantly cool and warm, making me feel good. Although it has a bit distant, it felt like taking a small trip outside the realm of everyday life, and it felt like floating away from reality when traveling. Seeing water after a long time made me feel good, and it was such a great healing experience to spend time without any thoughts or worries, just with my mind empty. It has been a long time since I have felt this way, so it was incredibly healing.”

  The festival will continue until June 23. Special programs include “Yoga on Jamsugyo Bridge” on June 9, “Ddoo Ddoo Busking” on June 16, and “Running on Jamsugyo Bridge” on June 23, marking the conclusion of the first half of the “2024 Car-free Jamsugyo Bridge Festival” this year.