Korean Cultural Festival DC 2022
Join us for the Korean Cultural Festival DC 2022, a month-long celebration featuring a diversity of performances and events, commemorating 140 Years of Korea-US ties. Events will take place throughout Washington, D.C. between October 7 and November 1, all free and open to the public, and will span the breadth of Korea’s vibrant traditional and popular culture.
The festival kicks off with an opening performance by the world-famous high-flying martial artists of the Kukkiwon Taekwondo Demonstration Team at Lisner Auditorium presented alongside rousing traditional percussion and local K-Pop performance teams (October 10 at 4:00 p.m.). Other highlights include the art and craft exhibition Beyond Paper at the KCCDC (October 7 – November 4), the fashion show and open studio workshop event Paper Road XIII – Washington, D.C. at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art (October 8 at 2:00 p.m.), an exhibition at the Old Korean Legation Museum about Korea’s first diplomatic minister to the United States in the early 20th century (October 11 – April 2023), a discussion with acclaimed Korean novelist Jeong You-Jeong at the George Washington University (October 20 at 6:00 p.m.), a special series of milestone Korean films at the KCCDC (October 26 – 28 at 6 PM daily), and the festival’s closing performance Move, Dance, Connect, featuring both the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company and the Washington Ballet on stage in the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater (November 1 at 7 p.m.).
Altogether, the festival represents an exceptional partnership of Korea- and DC-based cultural institutions, including the KCCDC, the Smithsonian Institution, the Kennedy Center, and others, with additional support from Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange, the Hanji Development Institute, and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea.
Other ongoing local events in October for which the KCCDC* has provided support include Korean Fashion: From Royal Court to Runway at the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum (through December) and Once Upon a Roof: Vanished Korean Architecture at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art (through October 30).
Schedule of Events
Friday, October 7 – November 1
See below for a full list of events, with links to more information and registration (forthcoming for some programs).
Kukkiwon Taekwondo Demonstration Team | Opening Performance
October 10 at 4 PM
Lisner Auditorium at the George Washington University
Members of the world-famous Kukkiwon Taekwondo Demonstration Team will take flight in DC in a spectacular martial arts showcase, as seen on the CBS show The World’s Best with their impressive second place finish. As a civil diplomatic corps, the team conducts demonstration tours around the world, introducing Korea’s indigenous martial art tradition that has evolved into a pop culture icon of Korea as well as a global community and Olympic sport. This Opening Performance event will also feature K-Pop dance by groups, Samulnori percussion music, and traditional cultural performances.
Beyond Paper | Exhibition
October 7 – November 4
Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C.
Details & Registration Forthcoming
Beyond Paper redefines paper as a versatile artistic medium with rich creative potential far beyond its traditional utility. Known as hanji, traditional Korean paper is exceptionally durable and malleable, making it a perfect material to merge art, design, and craft while retaining its fundamental Korean identity. This exhibition features the work of artists who create hanji-based textiles, wares, vessels, clothing, and other elements of a modern or traditional home. Beyond Paper includes a workshop and seminar, and is a partnership with the Hanji Development Institute.
Paper Road XIII – Washington, D.C. | Fashion Show & Open Studio
October 8 at 2 PM
Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art
Experience fashion like you’ve never seen it before—through the creative medium of traditional Korean hanji paper. Presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in partnership with the KCCDC and the Hanji Development Institute, Paper Road XIII – Washington, D.C. is a unique fashion show of traditional and contemporary designs crafted from hanji followed by an open studio and workshop activity that explores how hanji is made.
The 1st Korean Minister Plenipotentiary, Park Chung Yang | Special Exhibition
October 11 – April 2023
Old Korean Legation Museum
Details & Registration Forthcoming
Learn about the life and times of Korea’s first ministerial diplomatic representative to the United States in this special exhibition at the historic Old Korean Legation Museum, located in Washington, D.C.’s Logan Circle neighborhood. Restored to its condition at the time it was used as diplomatic legation, the Old Korean Legation represents the cradle of Korea-US friendship.
Literature Night with Author Jeong You-Jeong | Discussion
October 20 at 6 PM
Jack Morton Auditorium at the George Washington University
Details & Registration Forthcoming
Join acclaimed Korean novelist Jeong You-Jeong for a discussion of her writing during Korean Literature Night. Jeong, author of Seven Years of Darkness and The Good Son, will meet with American readers to explain her body of work, influences, and creative experience. A Korean movie based on one of the novelist’s works will be screened at the auditorium following Q&A session at the special event.
K-Cinema Highlights | Film Series
October 26 – 28 at 6 PM daily
Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C.
Details & Registration Forthcoming
In light of Korean cinema’s rise to global prominence, this three-day series will look back on several milestone and influential films to come from Korea or feature Korean talent throughout the past decade. Screenings will be free and open to the public with reservations required (film details to be announced via the KCCDC website in October).
Move, Dance, Connect | Joint Performance
The Korea National Contemporary Dance Company & The Washington Ballet
November 1 at 7 PM
Eisenhower Theater at The Kennedy Center
Details & Registration Forthcoming
Experience the exquisite artistry of two world class dance companies in Move, Dance, Connect, a free joint performance featuring the Korea National Contemporary Dance Company and The Washington Ballet. This special event presented by the Korean Cultural Center Washington. D.C. closes out the Korean Cultural Festival DC 2022, a month of public cultural events celebrating the 140th anniversary of Korea-US ties and a shared history of cultural exchange. Symbolizing the deep personal and cultural ties between South Koreans and Americans, the companies will each present original dance works that showcase their unique styles and creative inspirations through a conversation of movement and personal introspection.
Korean Cultural Festival DC 2022
Opening Performance: Kukkiwon Taekwondo Demonstration Team
* A previous version of this announcement misstated this instance as KNCDC.
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