Busan No Longer Big Enough... Busan International Rock Festival Selected as "Preliminary Global Festival" by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
by Kim Yongu
Published 12 Mar.2026 12:46(KST)
The Busan International Rock Festival has been selected as a "Preliminary Global Festival" by the government.
The Busan Metropolitan Government (Mayor Park Heongjoon) announced on March 12 that the Busan International Rock Festival was finally selected as a "Preliminary Global Festival" in the cultural festival development project organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
This project aims to attract 30 million inbound tourists by identifying and intensively supporting cultural tourism festivals with global potential.
The Busan International Rock Festival was newly designated as a "2026-2027 Cultural Tourism Festival" by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in January this year, and has now also been selected as a "Preliminary Global Festival." This secures a foundation for its growth into a global music festival.
With this selection, the Busan International Rock Festival will receive 250 million won in government funding. It will also benefit from expert consulting and customized support. Additional assistance will be provided for overseas promotion and marketing, the development of global tourism products, and the establishment of artificial intelligence-based multilingual services.
Busan Metropolitan Government plans to strengthen the festival's operations in line with future performance evaluations. The goal is to solidify the foundation for its growth as a global music festival.
The city also aims to foster the Busan International Rock Festival into a world-class music festival, aspiring to place it alongside the Glastonbury Festival in the UK and the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan.
The Busan International Rock Festival is the longest-running rock festival in Korea. Every year, top artists from Korea and abroad participate, and it has established itself as an urban-style music festival model.
Last year, 81 teams participated, including the British band Suede, the American rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, and the Korean band Jaurim. Approximately 70,000 domestic and international visitors attended.
Park Heongjoon, Mayor of Busan, said, "We will support the Busan International Rock Festival so that it can grow into a global K-content festival that attracts music fans from all over the world."
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