Seoul forges arts pacts across Europe to boost global soft power

Song Hyeong-jong, right, president of the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, poses with Xavier Marce, Barcelona's councillor for culture and creative industries, after signing a memorandum of understanding to establish a permanent pipeline for performing and visual arts exchange, in Barcelona, June 9. Courtesy of Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture

Seeking to transform Korea's capital into a global hub, the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture announced Tuesday a sweeping diplomatic push across Europe designed to project the city's "soft power" through major festival partnerships and artistic exchanges.

The initiative, led by the foundation’s president Song Hyeong-jong, marks a strategic effort by metropolitan officials to elevate Seoul into the ranks of the world's top cultural cities. Following a diplomatic tour through Singapore earlier this year, Seoul arts officials secured long-term partnerships with civic leaders and cultural institutions in Spain, Romania and the Netherlands.

The centerpiece of the European tour came on June 9 in Barcelona, where Song signed a strategic memorandum of understanding with Xavier Marcé, the Spanish city's councillor for culture and creative industries. During the summit, Barcelona officials formally invited Seoul to be the guest of honor at La Mercè in 2028, Spain's largest street arts festival.

The agreement establishes a permanent pipeline for performing and visual arts exchanges.

Beginning in September, Seoul’s Street Arts Creation Center will launch joint workshops and artist residencies with Barcelona’s La Central del Circ, a prominent circus incubator. The partnership will also link Barcelona’s programming division with Seoul’s homegrown autumn events, including the Seoul Autumn Festa and the Seoul Street Arts Festival.

The foundation’s European tour also emphasized institutional ties in the Netherlands. Meeting in Amsterdam with the city's cultural director, Araf Ahmadali, Seoul officials finalized the draft of a bilateral cultural policy pact scheduled for a formal signing in October.

In Romania, Song was awarded a special contribution award at the Babel International Festival of Performing Arts, honoring a decade of collaborative trust between Seoul and Eastern European theater circles.

"The final piece of the puzzle in global competitiveness is culture and arts," Song said. "As a global platform, we will focus all our resources on expanding the creative territory of Seoul’s artists across the worldwide stage."

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.