More Korean cultural centers around the world will now open K-pop Academies, providing courses in K-pop singing and dancing.
The Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS), part of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced on May 28 that a total of 25 Korean cultural centers, including ones in Germany, the U.K., Egypt, Indonesia and the U.S., will now be running programs to teach Korea-style pop music singing and dancing. The first K-pop Academies kicked off in 2016 at Korean Cultural Centers in 20 countries, targeting those countries that already have a huge base of K-pop fans.
K-pop is the most popular Korean wave content in overseas. Since 2016, the KOCIS has been operating KPOP dancing and singing lecture programs for three years, which was difficult for private sector KOCIS promoters and singers to perform directly due to local demand.
The curriculum is divided into elementary and intermediate classes according to the level of the students. Responsible for this project, YBM was selected as an educational institution in April, and YBM plans to announce KPOP in 25 cultural centers abroad for the next 8 months.
This year ‘s K – pop academy will be dispatched to the best teachers in Korea. Professor Park Ji-heon from the talented group ‘VOS’ and Professor Hong Young-joo from the first-generation KPOP choreographed the whole curriculum and choreographed the ‘Up and Down’ of the EXID and the ‘Pick me’ Teachers such as Bae Yoon-jung will be in charge of education.
A program for promoting Korean culture as a linkage course will be held together with ‘K-pop Academy’. This year, Korean culture contents will be introduced to students through Virtual Experience (VR) program, and traditional culture and Korean food classes such as yoga and hanbok experience will be held.
“The K-pop Academies will give you a chance to learn from the nation’s best singers and dancers, song and dance moves from the Korean pop band that you like the best,” said KOCIS Director Kim Tae-hoon.
