By Kim Young Shin

The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) will host a showcase event of Korean performances at The Star Theater in Singapore on April 26 and 27.

The event will be attended by some 3,500 local audience members, including groups from travel agencies.

“This event aims to broaden the ground of Korean performances in Singapore, where consumers have high purchasing power and some 210,000 people here visit Korea every year,” said a KTO official.

In these performances, the musical “Only You” (당신만이) and “Finding Mr. Destiny” (김종욱 찾기), the non-verbal drumming performance “Nanta” and a traditional musical concert by the National Gugak Center will all be showcased.

The KTO anticipates that specially themed tour packages, like package tours that take in a few musicals or other performances, could boost the number of Singaporean travelers coming to Korea.

Currently, there are at least 14 performances that non-Korean audiences in Seoul can enjoy without having to learn Korean itself: the musicals “Only You,” “Finding Mr. Destiny,” “Loving in the Rain” (사랑은 비를 타고) and “Laundry” (빨래), a range of traditional music performances at the Korea House and Jeongdong Theater, and then there are the non-verbal mostly-drumming performances “Nanta,” “Jump,” “Chef,” “The Painters Hero,” “Fanta Stick,” “Pang Show” (빵쇼), “Kung Festival” (쿵 페스티벌) and “Fireman.”

ysk1111@korea.kr