The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Yu In Chon, hereinafter referred to as MCST) announced its plans to invite 14 distinguished figures from the cultural and artistic sectors of 11 countries to Korea from May to October this year in celebration of the 17th K-Fellowship Program (an invitational program for foreign leaders).

Renowned Performing Arts and Literary Figures to Visit Korea from Germany, France, Hungary, the U.S., Australia, and the U.K.

Since 2009, MCST has been inviting artists, heads of cultural arts institutions, and policymakers from countries with Korean Cultural Centers to Korea as part of its K-Fellowship Program. Over 200 leading figures have visited Korea through this initiative, gaining a broadened understanding of Korea that has helped to further promote exchanges (and strengthen networks) with Korean Cultural Centers around the globe. This year, in addition to its collaboration with overseas Korean Cultural Centers, MCST will also connect with regional cultural arts festivals that are actively engaged in international exchanges. A number of festivals recommended by the organizers were selected to achieve greater impact.

Notable invitees include Artistic Director Winrich Hopp of Musikfest Berlin, a key figure in European classical music, who will visit Korea in July to meet and discuss collaboration with the Busan City Art Organization and the Tongyeong International Music Foundation. Director General Valerie Chevalier of the French Opera Orchestre National de Montpellier, one of France’s 100 most influential women in culture in 2023, will visit in June for the Busan International Dance Festival and meetings with the Busan Cultural Foundation. Professor Roland Szentpali of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, a historical and prestigious musical arts university in Hungary, will be visiting the Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival in August. CEO David Baile of the International Society for the Performing Arts based in the U.S., which connects professional artists and institutions from over 50 countries, will visit various performing arts stages in October, including the Performing Arts Market in Seoul and the Seoul Performing Arts Festival.

Moreover, to further grow the global interest in Korean literature following author Han Kang’s Nobel Prize win last year, literary experts from Australia (Artistic Director of the Sydney Writers’ Festival) and the U.S. (Director of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa) will be invited to the Seoul International Writers’ Festival in September.

Selection of Invitees Based on the Demand of Cultural Arts Institutions with Plans to Support Meaningful International Exchanges

Until now, the K-Fellowship Program primarily selected invitees based on recommendations from Korean Cultural Centers abroad. In 2025, however, domestic cultural arts institutions that host major international cultural arts festivals have also made recommendations, engaging in direct communication with Korean Cultural Centers abroad to finalize the invitees. This new approach has enabled regional cultural arts institutions to engage with top-tier global figures who may have been difficult to host due to financial or circumstantial constraints, backed by the support of overseas Korean Cultural Centers and invitations under the name of the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. To ensure collaborative discussions between the invitees and domestic institutions lead to tangible international exchanges, Korean Cultural Centers abroad will continue to facilitate follow-up collaboration efforts, thereby transforming the visits from one-time events into long-term exchanges.

“The K-Fellowship Program should serve as a starting point for substantial international exchanges rather than just formal meetings and cultural experiences with domestic cultural institutions,” said Director General Kim Hyun Jun of the International Cultural Affairs Bureau at MCST. “To this end, overseas Korean Cultural Centers are to function as bridges between invitees and local cultural arts institutions to generate sustainable results. MCST will actively support follow-up projects through overseas Korean Cultural Centers to ensure continued collaboration.”