The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea International Cultural Exchange Agency announced on July 16 that they are launching the 'Invitation of International Figures' program.
Now in its 18th year, this initiative aims to allow prominent international cultural figures to explore South Korea's cultural and artistic landscape while engaging with local stakeholders to expand the foundation for international cooperation. This year, ten key figures from the fields of visual arts and literature and publishing will visit South Korea in succession.
The first invited guest is Ezequiel Martinez, the director of the Buenos Aires International Book Fair. From June 22 to 28, he visited the Seoul International Book Fair, the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, and the Korea Publishing Industry Promotion Agency to examine the operations of the Korean publishing industry and its cultural content.
During his visit, he met with representatives from the domestic publishing sector to discuss strategies for expanding Korean literature into Latin America and the possibility of South Korea being the guest country at the 2028 Buenos Aires International Book Fair. This collaboration is expected to enhance opportunities for Korean literature to reach Spanish-speaking readers and strengthen ties with the Latin American publishing market. The Buenos Aires International Book Fair is a leading international book fair in Latin America, and Martinez's visit is anticipated to explore the potential for Korean literature and publishing content in the region.
In the second half of the year, additional visits from key figures in visual arts and literature and publishing are expected. Notable guests include Tobias Berger, exhibition director at Hong Kong's Serakai Studio; Daniela Burkhardt, head of cooperation at the Karlsruhe office designated as a UNESCO Creative City in media arts; Solveig Oevsteboe, director of the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art in Norway; and Amit Gupta, founder and editor of the architecture, design, and art content platform Sturworld.
Other notable visitors include the deputy editor of the British literary magazine Granta, a co-founder of the research and media platform New Models, an associate professor of contemporary art theory and history at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, and the program director of the German non-profit art organization, the Lars Art Foundation.
Kim Jae-hyun, director of the Cultural Media Industry Division at the Ministry of Culture, stated, "The 'Invitation of International Figures' program serves as a foundation for international cooperation connecting prominent cultural figures with the Korean cultural scene. The Ministry will continue to foster exchanges with top figures across various fields to achieve tangible collaborative outcomes."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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