Differences in Culture and Arts Between South and North Korea Revealed by a Defector Artist

Ministry of Culture Holds 'Inter-Korean Cultural Exchange Education and Forum'

A forum to discuss North Korean culture, arts, and education with North Korean defectors will be held. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute and the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service, will host the "1st Inter-Korean Cultural Exchange Education and Forum" on the 17th at 2 p.m. in the main auditorium of the National Folk Museum in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Over four sessions until December, the forum will examine the differences in culture and arts between the two Koreas and explore directions for restoring a cultural community.

The theme of the first event is "Talk Concert with North Korean Defector Artists ? Discussing North Korean Culture and Arts." Professor Jeon Young-sun of Konkuk University, former president of the North Korean Studies Association, will give a lecture on changes in North Korean culture and arts. Baek Seon-ja, CEO of Yeum Art Center, will present cases of cultural arts education conducted for North Korean defectors. A talk concert featuring North Korean defector artist and broadcaster Jung Yuna and film director Park Yoo-sung will also take place. The event will share hidden stories of North Korean cultural arts education and include a Q&A session with the audience about the lives of North Korean artists.

Lee Hae-don, Director of Cultural Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "We hope this will be an opportunity to understand the differences in culture and arts between the two Koreas and to promote ethnic homogeneity and community restoration."