The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on July 7 that, together with the Arts Council Korea, it will begin accepting additional applications for the "Youth Culture and Arts Pass" starting at 10:00 a.m. on the same day.
The Youth Culture and Arts Pass is a voucher that can be used immediately to book performances and exhibitions through "NolTicket" and "YES24." Any Korean youth born in 2006 and residing in Korea, who turns 19 this year, is eligible to apply. Recipients can use the pass points to book performances and exhibitions, such as musicals, classical concerts, and other events, up to a maximum value of 150,000 won.
The ministry previously accepted first-round applications for the Culture and Arts Pass from March 6 to May 31, a period of about three months. As a result, approximately 120,000 youths received the pass, achieving a final issuance rate of 76.9%.
This additional application round is intended to reissue passes that were not distributed in the first round, as well as to reallocate funds that were reclaimed from passes issued but never used. Youths who already received the Youth Culture and Arts Pass in the first half of the year are not eligible to apply again. Applications will be accepted until November 30, but since passes are issued on a first-come, first-served basis according to the number of eligible youths in each of the 17 provinces and metropolitan cities, applications may close early depending on the status in each region.
The Youth Culture and Arts Pass is a project launched by the ministry last year to help young people, who spent their adolescence under COVID-19 restrictions, discover their cultural preferences and grow into future audiences by experiencing cultural and artistic programs in person. According to a survey conducted from June 24 to June 30 among 7,144 youths who received the pass, 98.4% of respondents expressed positive feedback, saying that the pass would be helpful for their future cultural activities.
National cultural and arts organizations, including the Korean National Ballet, as well as 10 local governments such as Daegu Metropolitan City and public cultural and arts institutions, will provide ticket discount services to users of the Youth Culture and Arts Pass.
Major performances eligible for discounts include the Korean National Ballet's "The Little Mermaid" (August 13?17), "Giselle" (November 12?16), and "The Nutcracker" (December 13?25); the National Asia Culture Center's "Masters of New York" (July 28?September 28); the Korean National Opera's "Tristan und Isolde" (December 4?7); the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Sejong Special Self-Governing City’s "Korea National Contemporary Dance Company: What I Saw in the Water" (August 14); Daegu Foundation for Culture's "22nd Daegu International Opera Festival: The Marriage of Figaro" (October 24?25); Mapo Cultural Foundation in Seoul's "10th M Classic Festival ? Symphony Series #1: Beethoven No.5" (September 24); Chuncheon Cultural Foundation in Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province's "Play: The Secret of Flowers" (July 25?26); and Gyeonggi Arts Center's "Seoga Concert 3: Sonagi" (August 21).
The ministry also announced that it will hold a "First Booking Event" for 100 youths who make their first performance or exhibition reservation using the Youth Culture and Arts Pass by July 13, as well as an "Online Promotion Supporters Recruitment Event" until July 16.
Lee Jungwoo, Director General for Culture and Arts Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "With this additional issuance of the Youth Culture and Arts Pass, we hope that young people on vacation or break will enjoy culture and the arts in their daily lives, bringing more vitality to performance and exhibition venues. The ministry will continue to expand opportunities for cultural participation by reflecting the needs of young people."
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