Team ’Tortoises Soar’ of Amsa Rehabilitation Center, winning the top prize

The ‘Tortoises Soar’ samulnori team made an amazing success at ‘Oneness Art Festival Shared by Families of the Developmentally Disabled’. Would we listen to the story together?

‘Tortoises Soar’ is made up of 6 disabled children living in Amsa Rehabilitation Center, a welfare institution for the disabled run by Korea Welfare Services.

‘Tortoises Soar’ won the top prize at the art festival which took place at Sky Art Hall in Deungchon-dong, Gangseo-gu on the 2nd of last November, giving an outstanding performance in the competitive event in which 12 teams participated. The director of Amsa Rehabilitation Center and a number of staff members were rooting for the team, sitting in the audience with excitement.

Mr. Seong-jin Park, director of Amsa Rehabilitation Center said, “I have seen our disabled children preparing for their performance for a long while and going through a rough time once in a while, so I was moved a lot to watch the competition scene.”

As a matter of fact, it has been 15 years since the ‘Tortoises Soar’ team was organized. In 2008, the samulnori club was made up with the intention of promoting leisure activity for the sake of the disabled living in Amsa Rehabilitation Center. Among them, the inmates having their good musical sense and showing a disposition to perform samulnori joined the team. It is told that about half the team members who started learning samulnori when in elementary school and performed it actively in the early stages have advanced into the communities to rely on themselves.

The members who are still in the team currently take part in a variety of programs, including rehabilitation therapy at Amsa Rehabilitation Center, on weekdays while attending special schools or pursuing their career and they are active in the samulnori club on weekends.

‘Tortoises Soar’ has performed in diversified events held in Gangdong-gu for the past ten years, winning the community’s great affection. In 2023, it pulled off its part at big ceremonial events which were hosted by the International Association of Culture Exchange for the Disabled in September, the Pre-Historic Culture Festival of Gangdong in October, and Oneness Art Festival in November. 

The members of the samulnori team say that their activities help them get great satisfaction and emotional stability personally. They are aware that they not only learn how to live in harmony and stand with each other while practicing samulnori, but also end in having enhanced sense of self-esteem and leading their social and daily lives more vibrantly as they find fulfillment from their successful performances.

The members of team ‘Tortoises Soar’ long to keep gathering together to enjoy samulnori even after they begin the world and rely on themselves. Most of all, they hope to deliver more dreams and hopes to the local communities while continuing their artistic activities designed for the disabled vigorously there. To this effect, the education customized to their levels, the backing to provide programs boosting their participation in various events, and the financial support for their activities are said to be required. We, Korea Welfare Services, are committed to standing by the disabled children of Amsa Rehabilitation Center as well as ‘Tortoises Soar’ continually, rooting for them and providing a variety of support to them.