South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is promoting a month-long Korea Art Festival in September 2025, featuring scores of events including design, craft, and calligraphy biennials across the country. The centerpiece is the concurrent staging of Frieze Seoul (fourth edition, over 120 exhibitors) and Kiaf (24th edition, some 175 galleries) at the Coex convention center in Gangnam, with a single ticket granting access to both fairs. International galleries have been opening local outposts in Seoul, and a Centre Pompidou branch is planned, as the city builds its reputation as an art capital.
This festival arrives after a tumultuous political period in South Korea and amid a prolonged downturn in the international art market that has raised questions about the strength of the Korean art market, which accounts for less than 2 percent of global sales and has been shrinking by some metrics. The initiative underscores South Korea's strategic push to boost its cultural profile at home and abroad, even as the broader Asian art market landscape shifts among Seoul, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The article highlights the resilience and ambition of Seoul's art scene despite economic headwinds.