Produced by weaving together hundreds of smaller straw threads, the rope used in the match takes over a month to complete. This year, the process began on Feb. 20 and was completed on March 30, involving some 40 pairs of hands every day.

“We have 10 or so master craftsmen overseeing the process,” said Cho. But as they age, the festival organizers are actively recruiting new trainees through online and offline ads. Five volunteers in their 40s are currently learning the craft.

“But (the number of people) is still much less than sufficient. We still need to gather 10, 20 more. We welcome all volunteers who are interested in this tradition and in the preservation of Korean tradition in general.”

While the festival staunchly defends the old ways, it is also seeking to become a global event.

“We have plans to cooperate with the governments of China, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Russia and other countries and invite foreign guests to participate,” Dangjin Mayor Kim Hong-jang said.

“This year, we’ve invited some 380 foreign exchange students, and multicultural families to join us.”

International participants including Sri Lankan students sporting T-shirts with the country’s national flag and a family with two Cambodian-Korean children were at the event.

“We’re advertising through university portal websites. It’s a chance for foreign nationals to parade their country while enjoying Korea,” said Cho.

The juldarigi, or Korean tug-of-war, centers on cooperation and friendly competition, efforts that are much-needed in today’s Korea, according to Kim.

“We’re living in times of division according to age, wealth and region. The theme of this year’s event is to make the world one through our rope. I hope Korean people can come together through (our event).”

The city has plans to build better infrastructure for tourists, he said.

“Each year we receive some 100,000 visitors during this time, but parking spaces are few. We will work to make improvements.

“We need to turn the surrounding areas into an international tourist site, befitting the honor of the UNESCO designation.”

Kim hopes to develop Dangjin, which sits on the Asan Bay protruding into the Yellow Sea, into a waterside resort complete with a marina and water sport facilities.

“We’re working on procuring investments from Chinese companies to build a waterpark. We will be submitting plans to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries by October and hope to begin construction early next year.”

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)