Sokcho City Confirmed as Host of '2026 Regional Coexistence·Cultural Companion Festa'... Gathering of 159 Cultural Foundations Nationwide

A Stepping Stone for Sokcho to Become a Hub for Nationwide Cultural Foundation Exchange

Sokcho City in Gangwon Province has been officially selected as the host city for the '2026 Regional Coexistence·Cultural Companion Festa'.

Last year's Regional Coexistence Cultural Companion Festa event. Provided by Sokcho City

The host city selection process was organized by the Korea Regional Culture Foundation Association (KRCA), and the Sokcho Culture & Tourism Foundation applied and was ultimately chosen as a result.

The Korea Regional Culture Foundation Association (KRCA) is an integrated corporation launched in August 2024 through the collaboration of the National Association of Regional Culture Foundations (NARCF) and the Korea Metropolitan Culture Foundation Association (KMCFA). As of October 2025, a total of 159 foundations are members, including 17 metropolitan and 142 basic-level foundations.

KRCA held the '2025 Regional Coexistence·Cultural Companion Festa' in Geumjeong-gu, Busan, as its first joint project since its establishment. The association is also promoting academy programs for regional culture foundation workers, such as workations and step-by-step group training sessions.

For this year’s host city selection, a total of four foundations-two metropolitan and two basic-level-submitted applications. The Sokcho Culture & Tourism Foundation, through an agreement with the Gangwon Culture Foundation (CEO Shin Hyunsang), proposed an operational model that integrates both basic and metropolitan foundations. It also suggested cultural tour programs for staff from foundations across the country, earning high marks in the final presentation review.

The 2026 Festa is scheduled to take place in the middle of the year throughout Sokcho, including the city center. Key programs being planned include a knowledge-sharing forum, a best practices pop-up exhibition, roundtable sessions, cultural tours (covering displaced persons' culture, Sangdomun Stone Wall Village, Seoraksan National Park, Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market), cultural busking, and a local free market. The final program lineup will be confirmed following further discussions.

Lee Byungseon, Chairman of the Board (and Mayor of Sokcho), stated, "This is the first nationwide cultural exchange event hosted by the Sokcho Culture & Tourism Foundation since its establishment. It will serve as a stepping stone for Sokcho to become a hub for exchange among cultural foundations nationwide." He added, "Through cooperation with the Gangwon Culture Foundation, we will realize a basic-metropolitan solidarity model and develop it as an operational model for future KRCA projects, presenting a new direction for coexistence and solidarity among cultural foundations."

Meanwhile, the Sokcho Culture & Tourism Foundation was appointed as a board foundation of both KRCA and NARCF in April 2025, with a term running until April 2027.

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