CEO of Saramson Community Co. Sunyoung Hong

Saramson Community is a cultural and arts planning organization based in Samdo-dong, Jeju City. It discovers local content from Jeju’s villages and transforms it into festivals, performances, and artistic programs. Sunyoung Hong founded the company in 2020 and has continued to lead projects that bring vitality to daily life through art created together with village residents. In particular, in Dwitgae Village of Bukchon-ri, she directed an outdoor play titled Dwitgae Halmaeng Dances, which portrayed the lives of haenyeo and featured actual villagers as performers. The performance was rooted in an archiving process that recorded the haenyeo’s words, gestures, and memories tied to the village. Hong approaches the village not as a backdrop but as the subject itself, exploring the connections between individual lives and artistic expression. She is currently working on a new performance centered around the old nettle trees in Bukchon, collecting memories and stories that local residents associate with the trees. The name “Saramson,” meaning “the hands of people,” reflects her belief in creation, connection, and hope within a community.