Arts Council Korea to Host World Summit on Arts and Culture in Seoul from May 27 to 30
As global interest in K-culture continues to rise, around 400 representatives from cultural and arts councils and institutions across more than 80 countries will gather in Seoul at the end of this month.
The Arts Council Korea announced on May 14 that, in partnership with the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA), it will host the 10th World Summit on Arts and Culture from May 27 to 30 in the Daehak-ro area of Seoul. The World Summit on Arts and Culture is the flagship event of IFACCA, which has 90 member organizations from 71 countries. Since its first summit in Canada in 2000, the IFACCA World Summit on Arts and Culture has been held every two to three years.
During a press conference held at the Artist House in Daehak-ro on the same day, Jung Byung-guk, Chairperson of the Arts Council Korea, explained that Korea's growing stature in arts and culture has increased the need for international exchange, which was a key motivation for hosting the World Summit on Arts and Culture.
Jung stated, "As the status of Korean arts and culture rises, on average, representatives from one or two countries visit the Arts Council each month, and invitations for the Council to visit various countries are also increasing."
In response, the Arts Council has recently been actively seeking to host international exchange projects, and the upcoming IFACCA summit is part of these efforts.
The 10th World Summit on Arts and Culture will be held under the theme "Imagining the Future of Arts and Culture." Through 36 sessions featuring 106 speakers from 65 countries, participants will explore strategies to respond to the future of arts and culture.
Chairperson Jung explained, "We will address a range of issues that artists and cultural professionals around the world are collectively facing, including artificial intelligence, the climate crisis, and the restoration of local communities."
The topics discussed at this summit will also be addressed at Mondiacult 2025, the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development at the ministerial level, scheduled to take place in Barcelona, Spain, at the end of September.
Jung emphasized, "The various discourses to be discussed at this summit will also be addressed at the UNESCO ministerial conference scheduled to be held in Spain and will be proposed as agenda items for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is highly significant that major cultural and arts agendas are being initiated in Korea."
The Arts Council has designated the period of the IFACCA World Summit on Arts and Culture as ARKO Global Week, an international exchange event, and will also host the fifth edition of the APE Camp this year. APE Camp brings together 100 artists, producers, and engineers for three days and two nights to generate ideas for art-technology convergence projects aimed at solving social issues. The APE Camp will hold a pre-event at Marronnier Park on May 24, with the main event taking place at COEX Magok in Seoul from May 25 to 27. On May 29, a networking party for participants will be held.
Chairperson Jung stated, "By hosting the APE Camp during the IFACCA World Summit on Arts and Culture, we aim to create an opportunity for cultural and arts professionals from around the world to observe and study the camp."
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