The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Choi Hwi-young) announced Thursday that it will host "Korea Season 2026" in Thailand and Vietnam, in partnership with the Korean Cultural Center in Thailand (Director Lee Sun-ju), the Korean Cultural Center in Vietnam (Director Park Chan-a) and the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (President Park Chang-sik).
The ministry has been promoting "Korea Season" in countries with strong potential for the spread of Korean culture, featuring year-round specially curated performances and exhibitions along with various cultural events organized in cooperation with affiliated institutions. The program started in Mexico in 2022, followed by the United Kingdom in 2023, France in 2024 and Spain last year. This year marks its first edition in Asia.
This year's event will spotlight the diverse appeal of Korean culture in Thailand and Vietnam, key hubs of K-culture in Southeast Asia. Coupled with the relocation and reopening of the Korean Cultural Center in Thailand and the 20th anniversary of the Korean Cultural Center in Vietnam, the ministry expects "Korea Season 2026" to serve as a festive platform for citizens of both countries to connect and build friendships through culture.
Yoon Byul Ballet Company will open Korea Season with "Gat," an original performance reinterpreting the traditional Korean hat through ballet, a Western art form. The show will be staged at the Siam Pic-Ganesha Theatre in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 23, followed by the Ho Guom Opera House in Hanoi, Vietnam, on May 27.
In October, the "K-Live Festival" will be held. Through band music spanning various genres and vibrant stage performances, the festival will offer Thai and Vietnamese audiences a unique cultural experience. In particular, musicians representing Korea, Thailand and Vietnam will share the stage, adding meaning to the musical exchange. In November, the Ho Guom Opera House in Vietnam will host a performance featuring popular K-pop songs reinterpreted as classical music. The Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra will collaborate, delivering a fresh emotional experience.
At the end of the year, a special media art exhibition based on traditional Korean culture will be organized. In Thailand, an exhibition will be held inside the Korean Cultural Center in connection with its reopening, while in Vietnam, the National Folk Museum of Korea's "Roar of the Tiger" exhibition will be presented at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology from December through January next year.
"Korea Season 2026" will continue to bring diverse Korean cultural events to audiences across Thailand and Vietnam throughout the year in cooperation with affiliated institutions. In Thailand, programs include a "Taste of Jang" special lecture (May), the "K-Day" designer hanbok exhibition and experience event (May), the National Orchestra of Korea's "Korean Sound" performance (August), the "Hello Thailand, Sawasdee Korea" Korea-Thailand cultural festival (November) and a Korean food festival marking "Kimchi Day" (November).
In Vietnam, events include the traditional Korean musical performance "Geumdaraekkung" (May), the "Korean Embassy Stone Wall Path Cultural Festival" (October), a "Korean Rites of Passage" lecture (October), the children's musical "Pollypop" (November) and "K-Game Korea Game Week" (November). Detailed information on the various cultural events of "Korea Season 2026" is available on the official website.
"'Korea Season 2026' will provide an opportunity for deeper cultural communication with Thailand and Vietnam, our major partners in Southeast Asia," said Kim Hyun-jun, Director General for International Cultural Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. "We will showcase the diverse appeal of K-culture locally while promoting bilateral exchange to broaden mutual cultural understanding."
