Korean Music Week Raises a Key Question: The Market and Future of Traditional Arts

Traditional Performing Arts Foundation Korea will host the “Invited Lecture Series on the Gugak Cultural Industry” from June 8 to 11 as part of the celebrations for the Second Gugak Day and Gugak Week.

Poster for the “2026 Invited Lecture Series on the Gugak Cultural Industry.” Photo by Traditional Performing Arts Foundation Korea.

The program aims to explore not only the artistic value of gugak as a traditional art form but also its potential as a cultural content industry spanning live performances, recorded music, and media. Through an industry-focused perspective, the lectures seek to examine future visions for gugak while helping define the concept of the gugak cultural industry alongside experts from related fields.

The lectures will take place at the Traditional Performing Arts Creation Center. Leading creators and arts administrators active in the field will discuss the domestic and international distribution of gugak content, overseas expansion strategies, opportunities for convergence with digital technologies, and the future direction of traditional arts.

On June 8, former Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre director Jeong Hye-jin will present “How Does Korean Dance Meet the World? Traditional Expansion and Cultural Industry Potential Through ‘Dansim’ and ‘Ilmu,’” examining the scalability of traditional arts. On June 9, writer Kang Bo-ram will deliver “Adding Genre-Based Imagination to Tradition: Traditional Creativity Across Genres and Media,” focusing on strategies for revitalizing traditional arts through cultural content.

The following day, former Cultural Heritage Administration commissioner Jeong Jae-sook will present “Let Us Play with Our Heritage: Practical Cases of Xin Hua Chang Jiu Zhi,” exploring the temporal and spatial expansion of traditional arts. On June 11, Sejong Center president Ahn Ho-sang will conclude the series with “Invented Tradition: Is Tradition in Our Time Inherited or Created?” offering perspectives on the future direction of traditional arts.

The foundation views the event as more than a commemorative program for Gugak Day and Gugak Week. It is intended as an opportunity to organize and articulate the industrial language surrounding gugak. While preserving the artistic integrity of traditional performance arts, the initiative seeks pathways for expansion into music, video, education, tourism, and technology-driven content sectors.

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