Film, arts & cultural festivals draw visitors to Korea this autumn

Autumn is not only the best time to visit Korea for its good weather and stunning autumn scenery but also for two of the largest arts and cultural events in the country.  For lovers of film, arts and culture it’s a great time to visit Korea’s twin cities of Seoul and Busan. While Seoul city will host the Seoul Performing Arts Festival from 18 September to 19 October, Busan in the south of the country will host its International Film Festival which runs for nine days from 2-10 October.

The Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF2008) is one of Korea’s largest performing arts festivals and encompasses works of both international and domestic contemporary works of drama, dance and theatre. SPAF2008 is a festival that introduces cutting-edge, innovative and thought provoking contemporary works. 

The 2008 program includes eleven performances from overseas countries as diverse as Chile, Russia, Poland, France, Spain Japan, Germany, the UK and USA.  A total of twenty-one Korean performances are on offer with one joint production by Korea and Australia titled Strangeland: The Disposessed. 

Busan also lights up for the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) for nine days from 2-10 October.  Busan has become the hub of Asian cinema with Korean films becoming well loved around the world.  Hosted in the beach resort area of Haeundae this area comes alive during PIFF with film viewings, festival parties and of course many of the stars of Asian cinema.  Haeundae Beach Resort is a great area to stay with many luxury beachside hotels as well as a top attraction in the evening with its many seafood restaurants.  Busan hosts the Jagalchi Culture Festival celebrating its seafood culture from 17-21 October.  A huge fireworks festival also runs from 17-18 October adding to the night-time fun. 

If you do travel to Korea in Autumn then one cultural festival not to be missed is the Gwangju Kimchi Festival from 15-19 October.   Here you can see why Kimchi is so important to the Korean diet and why no Korean can live without it when they travel abroad.  Koreans eat kimchi everyday and it was named by US Health magazine as one of the top ten anti-cancer foods.  At the Gwangju Kimchi Festival you can try one of many different kinds of kimchi as well as get your hands messy making it if you wish.

The 7th Gwangju Biennale runs from 5 September to 9 November, 2008. Under the theme ‘Annual Report: A Year in Exhibitions’ it brings together a range of activities produced across the span of nearly eighteen months. The exhibition will serve as a hosting site, incorporating into its sequence of galleries and satellite sites activities ranging from performances, readings, film screenings, music, dance and theater.

The Baekje Cultural Festival celebrates the culture and history of the Baekje Dynasty and is held in the ancient city of Buyeo.  From 3-12 October you will be able to learn all about Korean history and culture as well as enjoy traditional festival music and dance performances