Cultural festivals cancelled due to flu fears

SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- Local governments have cancelled cultural festivals scheduled for this year as part of efforts to prevent the spread of H1N1 influenza.

Yangju City in Gyeonggi Province announced Tuesday that it was cancelling this
year's International Folkart Festival slated for Sept. 24 to 27 in order to
safeguard residents' health from the contagious disease. Fifty teams from seven
countries participated in the first festival held last year.
The city plans to use the budget set aside for the festival to fund precautionary
measures against the new flu.
Anseong, also in Gyeonggi Province, has cancelled this year's Baudeogi Festival,
one of the province's hallmark cultural fairs.
The city had planned more than 200 special events during the festival, with folk
art troupes from seven countries, including Syria and the Philippines, expected
to participate.
Chungju City in North Chungcheong Province says it has cancelled the second World
Taekkyeon Festival and the 2009 World Martial Arts Festival, originally scheduled
for Sept. 26-27 and Sept. 23-27, respectively.
Shinan County of South Jeolla Province has cancelled its Skate Festival, which
highlights a local specialty fish. The festival had been planned for Sept. 12-13
in Heuksan Island, a tourist attraction off the southern coast.
Three South Koreans have died after contracting Type-A influenza while over 3,300
have been diagnosed with the disease since April this year. About 1,000 people
still remain under treatment.
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