EU-Korea cultural cooperation in performing arts

The EU was the focus of the Performing Arts Market in Seoul from 7- 12 October 2018, one of the most important events of this type in Asia. The aim of the EU participation was to build bridges between the performing arts sectors on both sides.

On this occasion, the EU Delegation in Seoul, together with the Directorate-General Education and Culture of the European Commission, organised a series of focus sessions on topics related to the panorama of performing arts in Europe, how to build an international network, arts and citizenship. Moreover, round-table discussions gave the opportunity to European and Korean partner organisations to exchange about opportunities and challenges in the fields of music, theatre, dance, circus and street arts and arts in public space. The European speakers were Creative Europe networks, platforms and cooperation projects: the European Theatre Convention, IETM, CircusNext, the European Festival Association, IN SITU, European Dancehouse Network, On the Move, Circostrada, Be SpectActive!, We are Europe and the European Music Exchange Office, making it the biggest representation of Creative Europe in a third country since the creation of the programme.    

An EU Music Night was the occasion to showcase the diversity of European music and highlight the new EU initiative Music Moves Europe.

The whole event took place in the context of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, to which performing arts sectors are important contributors, especially through immaterial heritage.

The EU participation to PAMS 2018 is one of the main concrete results of the EU-Korea dialogue in cultural policy, based on the Protocol for cultural cooperation between the EU and Korea and the EU strategy for international cultural relations.