I am covering trend, food and fashion. Previously, I covered diplomacy, city, environment and unification.
Korea is cool, trendy country to Spaniards: cultural center chief
Korean alternative pop band LEENALCHI performs at La Mar de Musicas, an annual music festival in the southern Spanish town of Cartagena, in July 2025. Courtesy of Korean Cultural Center in Spain
By Kim Se-jeong
Shin Jae-kwang, director of the Korean Cultural Center in Spain / Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
When Korea was named guest of honor at La Mar de Musicas, an annual music festival in the southern Spanish city of Cartagena, the Korean Cultural Center in Spain saw an opportunity to do more than play a few songs. It turned the stage into a window to Korean culture, drawing some 40,000 visitors and wide local media coverage.
That effort helped earn the center a special recognition from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which recognized it alongside centers in Vietnam, Thailand, China and Japan at its annual gathering of representatives from roughly 40 Korean cultural centers worldwide. The Seoul meeting, held each year, gives center directors a chance to share experiences and learn from one another.
Korean Cultural Center in Spain Director Shin Jae-kwang said the recognition reflected the work his center carried out over the past year.
“For many Spaniards, Korea is seen as a cool and trendy country with much to offer. I feel honored to be part of introducing different aspects of Korean culture to Spanish audiences,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times Wednesday.
Idol rock band W24 and contemporary gugak (traditional Korean music) groups Dal:um and LEENALCHI were among the musicians invited to the festival. The center also screened eight Korean films. The venue featured an exhibition by renowned photographer Koo Bohn-chang, while 20 restaurants showcased Korean food-inspired tapas, Spain’s signature shareable dishes.
“Although it’s a music festival, we managed to showcase a variety of Korean culture there, including music, art, literature, food, calligraphy and crafts,” Shin said.
“We worked with the city government of Cartagena to invite musicians. In terms of musicians, they had a list of artists they wanted to bring, and we helped coordinate the invitations.”
Beyond the festival, Shin also managed to bring 20 Korean authors to Spain last year, including Bora Chung, best known for “Cursed Bunny" (2017), Kim Hye-jin for "Concerning My Daughter" (2017) and Kim Ae-ran for "My Brilliant Life" (2011).
“Literature is something I felt proud of. It turned out to be a real success,” Shin said, adding that Spanish readers have shown strong interest in Korean literature. Nobel laureaute Han Kang's novels are known to be quite popular in Spain.
“Our research has found that Spanish audiences enjoy Korean literature, following music and films,” he said.
Looking ahead, Shin plans to launch a short-form film contest for Spanish creators.
“People in Spain have a strong desire to create,” he said. “The winners will receive an opportunity to travel to Korea, and their films will be screened at our annual film event.”