"Opening New Performing Arts Market" Jeju Haevichi Art Festival Concludes Successfully

16th Festival Held on an Unprecedented Scale
Closing with the Cultural Arts Awards Ceremony on the 15th

The 16th Jeju Haevichi Art Festival, a large-scale event in the domestic and international performing arts and cultural sector, concluded on the 15th with the Cultural Arts Awards ceremony.

'Jeju Haevichi Art Festival' Culture and Arts Awards Ceremony. Lee Seung-jeong, President of Kokaka (center), and the awardees. [Photo provided by the Korea Culture and Arts Centers Association]

Under the slogan "PIONEER," this festival saw participation from over 200 cultural centers and arts-related institutions nationwide and more than 300 art organizations, marking it as one of the largest events to date. The focus was on revitalizing distribution of performing arts and fostering exchange and cooperation among cultural artists both domestically and internationally.

The festival was attended by cultural and artistic figures from seven countries including Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, and China. Time was allocated for communication among stakeholders, and new discourses were presented through the inaugural opening forum, exchange and cooperation networking, overseas exchange, and overseas stage technology sections.

The art market was conducted through repertoire pitching, booth exhibitions, and showcases. Booth exhibitions by cultural centers and art organizations were held concurrently, which participants evaluated as effective for interactive networking.

'Jeju Haevichi Art Festival' Cultural Arts Education Networking
[Photo by Korea Arts & Culture Centers Association]

Han Seung-won, CEO of HJ Culture, who participated in the exhibition, said, "Through the cross-operation of booth exhibitions, we actively introduced performance works and had the rewarding opportunity to freely meet with cultural center managers who are usually difficult to meet in one place."

Another distinguishing feature of this festival was the expansion of the KoCACA exchange and cooperation networking scope beyond performing arts to various fields such as exhibitions, cultural arts education, and activation of cultural arts sponsorship.

Gwak No-seon, Deputy Director of Dangjin Culture and Arts Center, who attended the exchange and cooperation networking, stated, "It was practically helpful as industry experts and actual practitioners gathered in one place to discuss various projects of cultural centers serving as complex cultural spaces, broadening the potential for linkage with other sectors."

'Jeju Haevichi Art Festival' Booth Exhibition [Photo by Korea Arts & Culture Centers Association]

The closing ceremony was held as a Cultural Arts Awards ceremony. Awards were presented in five categories: Cultural Center Award, Cultural Center Personnel Award, Cultural Arts Organization Award, Cultural Center Contribution Award, and KoCACA Special Contribution Award.

Lee Seung-jung, President of KoCACA, said, "Global market development is essential to redefine the position and role of Korean culture and arts. Having taken the first step in domestic and international performing arts distribution and exchange cooperation projects, we will do our best to become a distribution platform for active communication in the cultural arts sector."

The Jeju Haevichi Art Festival is co-hosted by the Korea Cultural & Arts Centers Association and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, supported by the Korea Arts Council and Hyundai Motor Group. It is held annually for workers in cultural centers, art organizations, and cultural arts stakeholders nationwide.

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