700 young Koreans to promote K-culture across 36 countries

Some 700 young Koreans will be dispatched around the world to promote K-culture.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange announced Friday that they are launching the "Youth K-Culture Global Frontier" program to develop the next generation of international cultural exchange talent and drive the global spread of K-culture.

Launching for the first time this year, the program is designed to help young people build international awareness and hands-on skills — either by planning and executing their own international cultural exchange projects or by gaining practical experience at cultural institutions abroad. About 700 participants are expected to be deployed across 36 countries this year.

The program is divided into two tracks based on activity type. The self-directed track lets young people plan and carry out K-culture-based international exchange projects across fields including performing arts, visual arts, webtoons, animation, literature, architecture, and beauty and fashion. Working with universities and regional cultural foundations, young cultural artists will engage with peers abroad and present original works that blend local cultural assets with youth creativity.

The work-experience track places participants at overseas cultural institutions — including Korean Cultural Centers, Korea Creative Content Agency overseas business centers, Korea Tourism Organization overseas branches, and King Sejong Institute locations — where they gain direct experience in international cultural exchange work. Participants will support cultural events and plan and produce promotional content for K-culture, building practical, on-the-ground skills.

Seoul Institute of the Arts, one of the institutions selected to carry out the program, is participating in Indonesia's Bali Arts Festival this week, staging a performance of Bongsan Talchum, a traditional Korean mask dance. The institute will also present for the first time a co-created work fusing Bali's Kecak dance with Bongsan Talchum.

Sangmyung University is pursuing a webtoon creative workshop and exhibition program with Thailand's Ministry of Culture and the Thailand Webtoon Academy, and will run a joint webtoon creation program with local platforms and young creators in Indonesia. The Chuncheon Cultural Foundation is collaborating with young creators from Hong Kong on a joint visual arts project.

A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official said the experiences and international networks that young people build abroad through the program "are expected to become a future asset driving the growth of K-culture." The official added that the ministry will "continue to expand field-centered exchange opportunities so that young people can gain diverse experiences through K-culture in every corner of the world."