The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held an outdoor ceremony at Seoul's Gyeongbok Palace on Thursday to mark the inaugural Gugak Day, or a day to celebrate Korea's traditional music of gugak.

Culture Minister Yu In-chon proclaimed the annual day during the event attended by the nation's gugak community and citizens, following up on the enactment of the Gugak Promotion Act last July.

The minister also presented an achievement award to persons of merit who have contributed toward the enactment of the law.

Gugak Day commemorates the lunar calendar date of June 5, when the court music composition “Yeominrak,” which means “the king and the people enjoy music together,” was first recorded in the Annals of King Sejong in 1447.

The ministry has designated June 5-30 as the "Weeks of Gugak," offering various free-of-charge Korean traditional music performances and educational events nationwide.