Cumulative Visitors Surpass 22 Million... Over 3 Million Annually
Aiming for 5 Million Visitors Per Year and Global Cultural Leadership
The National Asia Culture Center celebrated its 10th anniversary on the 25th. Attendees are taking a commemorative photo at the ACC 10th Anniversary Ceremony held in the international conference room that afternoon. Photo by ACC
The National Asia Culture Center held a ceremony to mark its 10th anniversary and declared the start of a new decade, setting a goal of attracting 5 million visitors annually.
On the 25th, the ACC hosted its 10th anniversary ceremony under the theme "Asia of Tomorrow, Painted by ACC." The event was attended by over 300 people, including Lee Jeongwoo, Director-General for Culture and Arts Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Checep Herawan, Ambassador of Indonesia to Korea; Begench Durdyev, Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Korea; key officials from countries that collaborate with the ACC; Kim Youngmun, Deputy Mayor for Culture and Economy of Gwangju; Lim Taek, Mayor of Dong-gu District in Gwangju; Yoo Sichoon, Chairperson of EBS; as well as representatives from related organizations and current and former executives and staff of the ACC and the ACC Foundation (ACCF).
Since its opening on November 25, 2015, the National Asia Culture Center (ACC) has recorded a cumulative total of 22 million visitors as of October this year, establishing itself as a leading cultural and artistic institution in Korea. The annual number of visitors increased each year, from 1.77 million in 2022, to 2.5 million in 2023, and 3.2 million in 2024. Last year, the annual number of visitors surpassed 3 million for the first time.
This growth continued in 2025. By October, the ACC had already welcomed 3.06 million visitors, and in August alone, it set a new monthly record with 450,000 visitors. On average, more than 10,000 people visited the ACC each day to enjoy exhibitions, performances, and hands-on experiences.
In a congratulatory video message, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwiyeong stated, "The ACC is a hub driving balanced growth in regional culture across Korea and a home where everyone can enjoy high-quality arts and culture. We will actively support the next decade."
Checep Herawan, Ambassador of Indonesia to Korea, remarked, "The cultural and artistic innovation achieved by the ACC has been a great inspiration to Indonesia. I hope that, through the ACC, cultural cooperation between our two countries will become even closer."
In his commemorative address, Kim Sangwook, Director of the National Asia Culture Center, said, "Over the past decade, the ACC has grown into a cultural space created together with citizens, based on 'the diversity of Asian culture,' and has developed into an international exchange platform. In the next ten years, we aim to reach 5 million annual visitors and stand shoulder to shoulder with leading cultural and artistic institutions worldwide."
On this day, the ACC unveiled a special exhibition, "Nomads on the Road," to mark the opening of the Central Asia Room, and staged the performance "Semetei," inspired by the Kyrgyz epic "Manas," at Theater 1 in the Arts Theater.
Taking this anniversary as an opportunity, the ACC plans to further strengthen its role as a cultural hub for Gwangju and Asia by expanding Asian cultural research, international exchange, large-scale performances and exhibitions, and citizen-participatory content.
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