Jeonju to Host 'Future Culture Forum' on June 13-14

At Venues Including the Korea Traditional Culture Center

The city of Jeonju in North Jeolla Province will host the '2025 Jeonju Future Culture Forum' on June 13-14 at various locations throughout Jeonju, including the Korea Traditional Culture Center.

According to the city on June 10, this forum has been organized as a platform for discussion to realize the vision of 'Jeonju, the most authentically Korean future culture city,' as Jeonju is recognized as a cultural city of South Korea.

Jeonju, a Cultural City of South Korea, Asks the Path to a Future City. Jeonju Future Culture Forum Poster. Provided by Jeonju City

The event is hosted by Jeonju City and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and co-organized by the Jeonju Cultural Foundation, the Korean Association of Regional Cultural Studies, the Korean Association for Cultural Economics, the Korean Association of Arts Management, the Korean Association of Culture and Arts Management, and the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute.

On the first day of the forum, Professor Mo Jongrin of Yonsei University will deliver a keynote presentation under the theme 'In an Era of Great Transformation, Asking the Path to a Future City Through Culture.' Professor Mo is expected to offer both philosophical and strategic insights into the role of culture and the future of cities during a transitional period in cultural city policy.

During the panel discussion, experts from the co-organizing institutions will participate as panelists, engaging in an in-depth discussion on Jeonju's cultural city strategy from various perspectives.

The city expects that this discussion, which brings together diverse academic viewpoints, will provide an opportunity to examine Jeonju's vision as a future culture city from a more multidimensional perspective. The Future Culture Forum will also feature a special session organized by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute.

In the special session, Jeong Boram, Associate Research Fellow at the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, will first share a retrospective and outlook on regional cultural policy with participants. This will be followed by a presentation from Kim Byungo, Professor at Jeonju University, who will explore the potential for convergence between Jeonju's cultural assets and technology.

The panel discussion will include Kim Namgyu, Distinguished Professor at Jeonbuk National University; Kim Eunjung, Head of Content Planning at Jeonbuk Ilbo; Byun Jihye, Researcher at the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute; and Jeon Wansik, Professor at Hansung University. They will engage in an in-depth discussion on how Jeonju's cultural assets could envision new futures through innovative reinterpretations, each offering perspectives from their respective fields.

On the second day of the forum, academic sessions and junior sessions organized by each association will be held. In particular, under the common theme 'Envisioning the Future Through Culture,' each association will present programs on specific topics, including: ▲ The co-evolution of hyperlocal and glocal (Korean Association of Regional Cultural Studies) ▲ Tradition and innovation (Korean Association for Cultural Economics) ▲ The present and future of the regional arts ecosystem (Korean Association of Arts Management) ▲ A sustainable future through culture and arts (Korean Association of Culture and Arts Management).

The city expects that this forum will go beyond simple discourse formation to become a venue for deriving practical policy directions and implementation strategies for Jeonju's cultural advancement. Furthermore, it is anticipated that Jeonju, as a cultural city of South Korea, will present a strategy for cultural innovation that connects tradition and the future, through a variety of perspectives encompassing culture, technology, and policy.

No Eunyoung, Director of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, stated, "Jeonju aims to go beyond being a city centered on traditional culture and to leap forward as a future-oriented cultural city with global competitiveness. This forum marks the starting point, and with the participation of leading academic societies and scholars in culture and the arts representing South Korea, we expect it will enable Jeonju's vision to be grounded in both academic depth and policy feasibility."