City of Gyeryong in Chungcheongnamdo had been considered from old times as a place of good luck in terms of fengshui and planned as a new capital by Lee Seonggye, the first king of Chosun. Along with Mt. Gyeryong of beautiful natural landscape, centers of Baekje culture including Gongju and Buyeo are adjacent to the city and the city can be reached in 2 hours from anywhere nationwide, which is a great geographical advantage to the city.

Since early 1980s, the central organizations of Korean national defense, the army, marine and air force headquarters, moved to Gyeryong area with the military families and military facilities. Over a half of Gyeryong population is military families and many military events such as Defense Asia, Army Festival, Model Plane Competition, Defense Exhibition, etc. are held in the area to make the city a new mecca for military culture.

Religion and military had played a major role in leading civilizations and trends of the world. These two had made significant impact on the history and culture of mankind and the influence had been expressed in various ways. In Gyeryong, Chungcheongnamdo, we will create a platform of harmony and peace by gathering hope of mankind wishing world peace, end of war and economic growth despite the painful past of the Korean war and the painful present as the only divided nation in the world. South Korean military has more values and significance than that of any other countries. In this reality, a major event such as this culture festival is such a meaningful one to wish world peace. Utilizing the local environment and cultural foundation and bringing hope to mankind, 2020 Gyeryong World Military Culture Expo will be held as an international event of competitions and festivals in Gyeryongdae area, a center of military culture.

Prior to the international event, peace and harmony between civilians and the military will promote positive attitude. Gyeryong Military Culture Festival was started since 2007 and will be held for 5 days, from 10.2 to 10.6 this year, to accumulate experience and know-how for the Expo.

By promoting the needs of the Expo and interest in the military culture, this festival will be a chance to re-establish and upgrade the military culture as a valuable cultural field.