"2025 East Asia City of Culture" Opening Ceremony Featuring Korea-China-Japan Collaboration to Be Held in Anseong

The "2025 East Asia City of Culture Opening Ceremony," hosted by Anseong City, Gyeonggi Province and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will be held on April 25 at the Grand Performance Hall of Anseong Matchum Hall in Anseong.

In 2012, at the 4th Korea-China-Japan Culture Ministers' Meeting, Korea, China, and Japan agreed to select East Asia Cities of Culture and promote various cultural exchanges and cooperative projects. In accordance with this agreement, since 2014, each country has annually designated a city with unique local culture as an East Asia City of Culture. For 2025, the selected East Asia Cities of Culture are Anseong in Korea, Huzhou and Macau in China, and Kamakura in Japan.

At the opening ceremony, Korea will present a performance by the Namsadang Baudeogi Pungmul Troupe, China will showcase a traditional dragon dance, and Japan will feature the traditional Noh theater. The event will also include congratulatory performances by the Anseong City Boys and Girls Choir, Harmonize, and singer Gummy.

Beginning with the opening ceremony, Anseong City plans to hold a variety of cultural exchange events under the slogan "Baudeogi, the First Idol of Joseon, Walks the Rope Connecting Asia." These events will include the East Asia Traditional Performing Arts Festival, a three-nation culinary competition, joint performances and choral events by the three countries, and a youth gathering for participants from all three nations.

Yoon Yangsu, Director-General of International Cultural Promotion Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "Through the East Asia City of Culture project, we expect to discover unique and original cultural and artistic content from each region and to build mutual understanding and friendship among the three countries through active regional cultural exchanges." He added, "The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will actively support a wide range of exchange projects to further expand the scope of international cultural exchange among the three countries."