South Chungcheong Secures 4.8 Billion Won in K-pop Funding...Cheonan and Boryeong Both Selected

Wins 2 of 9 slots in nationwide MCST competition... 480 million won in national funding for K-culture events

Scenes from last year's Cheonan K-Culture Expo

South Chungcheong Province has secured two key K-pop-related flagship events this year that will receive national funding from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, demonstrating its competitiveness in attracting Hallyu tourism. Out of only nine regions selected nationwide through an open call, South Chungcheong Province succeeded in winning two slots.

The provincial government of South Chungcheong announced on the 11th that “K-Music Special Live with 2026 Cheonan K-Culture Expo” was selected for the “K-pop Concert Support Program,” and “Boryeong Mud Festival with My K Festa” was selected for the “Large-Scale Hallyu Comprehensive Event Support Program,” both organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization.

With this selection, Cheonan will receive 200 million won in national funding and Boryeong will receive 280 million won, securing a total of 480 million won in government support.

K-Music Special Live in Cheonan will be held at the Independence Hall of Korea from September 2 to 5. With a total project budget of 1.2 billion won, the event will feature programs with strong mass appeal and impact, including an opening concert, a live radio broadcast, and a K-OST concert.

Scenes from last year's Boryeong Mud Festival

Boryeong K Festa will take place in the Daecheon Beach area from July 24 to August 9. With a total budget of 3.78 billion won, the event will be held in conjunction with the Boryeong Mud Festival, which has established itself as a global festival, and will showcase Hallyu cultural content centered on K-pop.

The province expects that securing this national funding will help attract more international tourists, vitalize stay-type tourism, create momentum for the “Visit Chungnam Year,” and generate positive ripple effects for the local economy.

An official from the provincial government said, “The simultaneous selection of two K-pop-related public projects demonstrates the competitiveness of South Chungcheong’s tourism content,” adding, “We will continue to strategically link Hallyu content with the region’s flagship festivals to develop South Chungcheong Province into a key tourism hub for domestic and international visitors.”

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