The Bolivian capital of La Paz has passed a municipal ordinance on officially backing and protecting K-pop activities in the city. Shown are members of the La Paz city council and an official from the Korean Embassy. (La Razon)

By Hong Angie

The Bolivian capital of La Paz has passed a municipal ordinance on providing police and administrative support for K-pop activities and events.

The Korean Embassy in Bolivia said the La Paz city council in a plenary session on April 17 passed an ordinance on "the promotion of artistic K-pop expression by youth."

The core of the ordinance is official guarantees of safety and space for youth who voluntarily engage in K-pop activities in public places through provisions like the right to use public spaces for K-pop practice and club activities; deployment of police to ensure safety at events; inclusion of K-pop activities in the city government's official cultural and arts schedule; and regular cultural exchanges such as K-pop festivals.

Thus the city's Hallyu fans can conduct such activities in a more stable and safer environment. They previously faced major obstacles in practicing at public squares and parks due to difficulty in securing venues and public safety problems in downtown La Paz.

Council chairman Jorge Dulon said, "The ordinance will be a crucial step to make La Paz a city that respects cultural diversity and artistic expression."

Building on this result, the embassy plans to cooperate with the municipal government and other relevant organizations to host K-pop contests and Korean Culture Week events to reinforce bilateral cultural ties by focusing on the spread of Hallyu (Korean Wave).

shong9412@korea.kr