On the 13th, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold the second session of "Art Policy Stories at 3 PM" at the seminar room of Modoo Art Space on the 5th floor of the Seoul Square Annex in Jung-gu, Seoul.
"Art Policy Stories at 3 PM" is a weekly Thursday meeting where the Ministry introduces the art policies it is promoting and gathers field opinions from the arts community. The Ministry plans to hold a total of eight such meetings by the end of April. In this session, they will discuss plans to create and operate a performing arts belt in downtown Seoul by linking Seogye-dong Complex Cultural Space, the National Theater, the National Jeongdong Theater, and the Myeongdong Arts Theater.
The Ministry plans to develop the overall performing arts industry by consecutively establishing and improving performance venues and creation/production spaces in the heart of Seoul, including Seogye-dong, Namsan, Jeongdong, and Myeongdong.
Perspective view of the 'Seogye-dong Complex Cultural Space' scheduled for completion in 2030 [Photo provided by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]
Near Seoul Station, a "Seogye-dong Complex Cultural Space" will be established by 2030, where the entire public can easily access and enjoy four performance venues, exhibition halls, and a specialized performing arts library, creating a hub for performing arts. At Namsan, a performing arts creation and production space will be developed, and in connection with the National Theater, a "Namsan Performing Arts Belt" including rehearsal rooms, studios, and stage production workshops will be built by 2026. The National Jeongdong Theater will be rebuilt by 2029 to increase performance venues (two locations) and convenience facilities. The Myeongdong Arts Theater, located in the center of the Myeongdong tourist district, will diversify humanities academies and performance programs to attract more citizens and tourists, and will carry out outdoor plaza improvement projects including LED lighting installation.
At the meeting, Min-Kyung Cha, a research fellow at the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute, will present ways to professionally operate each facility within the Seoul downtown performing arts belt and establish a linked management system for efficient activation. The presentation will also cover the concept and necessity of the "Performing Arts Belt," considerations for its activation, and overseas cases of concentrated performance facility areas.
After the keynote presentation, Jung-Woo Son, chairman of the Korea Theater Association, Heon-Jae Lee, president of the Korea Performing Producer Association, and Dong-Hyun Lee, head of the National Theater’s performance planning department, will represent arts associations and organizations to provide opinions on linked operation plans for national performance facilities and the need for professional management and operation. This will be followed by a Q&A session where attendees can freely exchange opinions.
Shin Eun-Hyang, Director of Art Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "Since we have begun research and discussions on ways to operate performance facilities linked within the Seoul downtown performing arts belt, we will continue to communicate in various fields so that the 'Performing Arts Belt' becomes a cradle for artists' creation and production, expands public cultural enjoyment, and serves as a foundation for the overall growth of the performing arts industry."
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