Expansion of New Korean Wave in UAE... K-Content and Pop Culture Events

Government Launches Various Programs to Mark the 'Year of Mutual Cultural Exchange'

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 18th that it will hold various cultural events to celebrate the "Year of Korea-UAE Mutual Cultural Exchange." These programs were prepared following the designation of last year, the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations in November 2019, as the "Year of Mutual Cultural Exchange" by former Minister Park Yang-woo and Noura Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of Culture and Youth. As most events were postponed due to the spread of COVID-19, the period has recently been extended through this year.

The first event is the Korea-UAE non-face-to-face festival, held from the 31st of this month to the 2nd of next month. It features K-content events and K-pop performances to promote Korean content locally. The K-content event includes 29 local prominent speakers, buyers, and companies from gaming, immersive content, and comics sectors. There will be export consultations as well as discussions on entering the Middle Eastern market. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism explained, "The UAE content market size is approximately 8.6 billion USD, ranking 26th worldwide and 2nd in the Middle East," adding, "If business exchanges among content companies expand and yield tangible results, it could become the center of the new Korean Wave." The K-pop performance will be held on the 2nd of next month. NCT DREAM, MAMAMOO, aespa, ASTRO, B.I.G (all Korean artists), and Fatima Al Hashmi (UAE singer) will deliver dazzling performances on a stage utilizing immersive (XR) video technology.

On June 14, a joint training and exchange exhibition for emerging visual artists from both countries will also take place. Twelve visual artists from Paju Typography Baegot and Peakra (UAE) will showcase various works themed around the food cultures of both countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.