Seoul City to Support Musical and Theater Performance Viewing for Elementary Students at 69 Schools Until Year-End

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] This year marks the first step in the cultural performance viewing support project for elementary, middle, and high school students.

On the 12th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will support 9,151 students from 69 elementary schools located in Seoul to watch 21 performances across various genres such as musicals, plays, and music from the 12th to the 23rd.

Seoul selected 21 works from 79 submissions received through a project call in June. Experts from each genre association, education specialists, and performance planning professionals evaluated the works. The evaluation criteria included the completeness of the work, suitability of the planning intent for elementary students, and compliance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines during performances. Priority was given not only to the educational effect on students but also to safety issues such as the viewing environment in the performance venues.

The first performance, held on the 12th at the National Museum of Korea’s ‘Theater Yong,’ was the Seoul Orchestra’s ‘Textbook Classic Music.’ It presents classical pieces included in textbooks directly to students, showing that classical music is not boring but conveys interesting and diverse stories.

Seoul plans to provide a stable audience base for the performing arts sector, which has lost performance opportunities due to COVID-19, enabling artists to continue their creative activities. The goal is to foster a sustainable ecosystem where the cultural and artistic performance industry can plan and produce high-quality performances.

Park Won-geun, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Culture and Arts Division, said, "I hope this becomes an opportunity for students to enjoy artistic works," adding, "I also hope it becomes a chance for the cultural and arts sector to gain strength."

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