15th Anniversary of Arts and Culture Education Week... Ministry of Culture to Host Symposium on Educational Impact

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on May 19 that, in celebration of the '2026 UNESCO Arts and Culture Education Week,' it will hold a variety of events—including the 'Arts and Culture Education Forum' and an 'International Symposium'—in partnership with the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service from May 19 to 31.

UNESCO designates the fourth week of May each year as International Arts and Culture Education Week. This global observance was established at the UNESCO General Conference in November 2011, following a proposal by the Korean government, and celebrates its 15th anniversary this year.

On May 19, a forum will be held at the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service under the theme 'Diagnosing the Current State of Arts and Culture Education.' Based on the results of six meetings attended by more than 120 researchers, planners, artists, educators, and administrators, the forum will redefine the inherent value and social significance of arts and culture education, which has served as a means to achieve policy goals such as fostering creativity, promoting social integration, and creating jobs over the past 20 years.

The first session will assess how the essential value of arts and culture education has changed and been restructured within institutional and administrative systems. The second session will explore the direction of transformation and practical tasks for arts and culture education from the perspectives of planners, arts educators, and administrators working in the field.

On May 21, an international symposium will be held at the Seoul branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art under the theme 'Measuring the Effects and Social Value of Arts and Culture Education.'

In the first session, Professor Anne Bamford from the University of Sydney in Australia, Executive Director Susanne Keuchel of the European Genshagen Foundation, and Kim Juri, Director of the Talent Development Division at the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service, will discuss the necessity of measuring the effects of arts and culture education and review international standards.

The second session will take a multi-layered approach to the effects of arts and culture education, which are difficult to capture through a single indicator. Professor Kim Bungnyun of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Seoul National University will present on the analysis of arts and culture education effects based on brain and neuroscience; Professor Daniel Bowen of Texas A&M University will discuss the academic, social, and emotional causal effects of arts and culture education; and researcher Valeria Pica of Gabriele d'Annunzio University in Italy will present on methodologies for calculating the economic value of arts and culture education.

This symposium will be broadcast live through the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service's YouTube channel.

In addition, this year's Arts and Culture Education Week will feature a range of related events nationwide, including: an Arts and Culture Education Official Development Assistance (ODA) Performance Sharing Session (May 20); a special lecture for children's and youth arts educators (May 22); a humanities healing camp for digitally over-immersed youth (May 20–22); the 'When My Inner Culture Shines' event for Cultural Diversity Week (May 23–24); a children's and youth dance workshop in collaboration with the National World Script Museum (May 24); the 'Dream Orchestra' joint performance, open classes for the Dream Darak Arts and Culture School, and various performances, exhibitions, and workshops at regional arts and culture education centers.

Detailed schedules and information on how to register for each event can be found on the official websites of the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service and the 'UNESCO Arts and Culture Education Week.'

Jung Hyangmi, policy chief at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "The UNESCO Arts and Culture Education Week is a meaningful opportunity to assess the current status of arts and culture education in Korea. The Ministry will make every effort to create a sustainable environment for arts and culture education so that its value and effects can spread throughout society."

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