Korea Herald kicks off 3rd Herald K-Art Competition

The Korea Herald has launched the third Herald K-Art Competition, appointing leading figures from Korea's traditional art community to its organizing committee.

The appointment ceremony for the competition's organizing committee was held Tuesday at Herald Square in Seoul. Herald Media Group CEO Choi Jin-young and Art and Bridge CEO Yang Jeong-seok attended the event, along with prominent figures in the traditional art world who were appointed to the committee.

The nationwide competition was created to promote Korean traditional art and discover new "K-art" content that reinterprets tradition in contemporary ways, to expand its global reach.

The 11-member organizing committee includes Eom Jae-kwon, president of the Korean Minhwa Art Institute and a holder of Korea Traditional Cultural Heritage in Minhwa; Song Chang-soo, a former professor at Dongduk Women's University and former president of the Korea Minhwa Association; Yoon In-soo, director of the Minhwa & Royal Court Painting Center; Geum Gwang-bok, senior adviser to the Korea Minhwa Association; and Lee Young-cheol, former president of Dongbang Culture University.

In their welcoming remarks, Choi and Yang said, "We expect the committee members, who have preserved and developed the roots of traditional art despite challenging circumstances, to serve as a steadfast guiding light for this competition."

They added, "Let us join forces to make this competition a stepping stone for showcasing the essence of K-art on the global stage beyond Korea."

The competition will accept entries in traditional calligraphy, modern calligraphy, muninhwa (literati painting), minhwa (Korean folk painting), embroidery and bojagi (traditional Korean wrapping cloth).

The first round of submissions will be accepted through the Art & Bridge website from Nov. 10 to 12. An exhibition of the finalists and award-winning works is scheduled for February at Dongduk Art Gallery and Gallery NaMu.

The grand prize winner will receive the Korea Herald CEO's Award and 5 million won in prize money. Three runners-up will receive awards from local government heads and invitations to hold solo exhibitions, each valued at about 2.5 million won.