This is the promotional poster for the KOCIS K-Arts busking band that will perform from Aug. 18-30 on the streets of four Central American countries. (KOCIS)

By Lee Kyoung Mi

A group of 10 young artists will begin a journey to Central America promote Korean culture there under a project conducted by the Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The KOCIS-operated Korea.net, the official multilingual news portal of the Korean government, will livestream the artists' performances on its YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/GatewayToKorea) so that anyone worldwide can see them.

KOCIS on Aug. 17 said it will organize the so-called KOCIS K-Arts busking band in cooperation with Korea National University of Arts, aka K-Arts, and hold performances from Aug. 18-30 on the streets of four Central American states: Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Honduras.

Through its 33 Korean Cultural Centers (KCCs) in major cities abroad, KOCIS has promoted Korean culture to the world. To mark the 60th anniversary of relations between Korea and Latin American countries this year, the agency organized this project to boost communication with youth in Central America since accessibility to Korean culture is limited there since the region has no KCC.

The band members comprise students and graduates of K-Arts, Korea's top institution for arts education, and showcase performances ranging from traditional music such as pansori (lyrical opera) and the folk song "Arirang" to modern genres like K-pop. At the University of Costa Rica, the band will hold a variety of programs like improvisational performances with students there.

Each band member was selected in June in a competition among students and graduates of the university. Six members are from the School of Korean Traditional Arts, two from the School of Music, one from the School of Dance and one from the School of Drama.

In Panama, the band will perform at Urraca Park (Aug. 18) and Independence Plaza (Aug. 19) in Panama City. In Costa Rica, the performances will be staged at the University of Costa Rica (Aug. 22) and Center Commercial Multiplaza in San Rafel de Escazu (Aug. 23). 

In El Salvador, the band will perform at Plaza El Salvador del Mundo (Aug. 25) and Center Commercial Galerias (Aug. 25) in San Salvador, and in Honduras, its shows will be held at Center Commercial City Mall in San Pedro Sula (Aug. 28) and Multiplaza Mall in Tegucigalga (Aug. 30).

After the performance period, KOCIS will produce videos on demand and a documentary of the band's performances to stream online or air on TV in Central America.

KOCIS said in a news release, "Hallyu (Korean wave) is a rapidly spreading trend in the South American region, but people in the Central American region except in Mexico have relatively fewer opportunities to experience Korean culture," adding, "We hope that these street performances can effectively deliver the national image of the Republic of Korea and the charm of our culture to the Central American region."

km137426@korea.kr